Upgrades & Openings ...

1 New Boots store opens in Wellpark Retail Park

Galway Wellpark Retail Park has welcomed Boots to its location in what will be their 94th store in Ireland. The new store is located in Unit 10 of Wellpark Retail Park based on the Dublin Road and will employ 17 people locally. Commenting on the opening of the new store, Stephen Watkins, Managing Director of Boots Ireland said: “Boots Ireland is continuing to expand its nationwide offering across Ireland, with the latest store opening in Wellpark bringing our total number of stores in the country to 94. I wish David and the team there much success and we are looking forward to delivering the Boots range of services all under one roof to the community.”

2 New Applegreen service station complex

Musgrave announces new five-year-deal with Ballymaguire Foods

Musgrave recently announced a new multi-million euro deal with Lusk-based ready meal producer Ballymaguire Foods, valued at €170 million. The new contract will continue to supply homegrown, Irish-made prepared meals and side dishes to Musgrave retail brands SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak. Louis-Francois Gombert will be CFO as announced by the Valeo Foods Group. Francois succeeds Brendan Feeney, following his decision to step back from the business. “I’m very excited to join Valeo Foods and look forward to supporting the ambition of continuing to build a leading European food business with global reach and impact,” said Gombert. “Commenting on his departure, Feeney added, “I’m immensely proud of Valeo Foods’ journey over the last 11-plus years, since its formation. I look forward to working with Louis-Francois on a smooth transition and wish him every success in his new role.” planned for Kilkenny

A planning application has been submitted for a large service station complex at Garrandarragh, Mullinavat, County Kilkenny. The proposed development includes an amenity/services building with a gross floor area of approximately 1.028sq.m that includes a retail convenience store with part offlicence, two food outlets (one with a Drive-Thru function), a coffee area and a communal seating area.

3 Bray Town Centre welcomes Butlers

Chocolate Café

The Butlers Chocolates team were delighted to open their 27th Butlers Chocolate Café on Main Street, Bray recently. They join a stellar line up at the new mixed use Bray central centre which showcase new units from Penneys, Sports Direct, Holland & Barrett, UMI Falafel, Sally’s Hand Rolled Ice-cream, and several venues operated by McKillen and Ryan’s Press Up Entertainment Group.

4 Tirlán Invests €11m in upgrades to local

branch network Tirlán, formerly Glanbia Ireland, has commenced an €11m investment programme to upgrade its local branch network, with work at its Athboy, Castlelyons and Bunclody stores now underway. The farmer-owned co-op said the investments in its 52 branches is part of a range of measures to future-proof its agri, retail and garden centre services in 11 counties. “Our 52-strong branch network is the face of Tirlán in our communities,” said Senan Foley, head of retail at Tirlán. “They are more than just an agri store. Today, our branch network provides critical services in a setting that many of our shareholders, suppliers and customers have a strong affiliation with locally.”

5 Mango to overhaul former Quills store in Cork

Spanish retail giant Mango has begun transforming a long-vacant city centre eyesore into a breezy Mediterranean-style outlet as the former Quills store undergoes a major makeover. Work had begun at the being of May on the Savoy-adjoining premises on St Patrick’s Street, and that the store is scheduled to open after the summer, with 10 jobs created. The premises has been vacant since Quills shut up shop in 2014. It was bought the following year for €2m by Clarendon Properties, owners of the Savoy.

Goldman Sachs to sell Blanchardstown shopping

Pepco launches sixth store in Dublin

centre

Goldman Sachs is reported to have appointed real estate investment bank Eastdil Secured and CBRE to find a buyer for Blanchardstown Centre. The shopping centre is expected to have a guide price of between €650m to €725, according to a story first reported by the Irish Times. Blanchardstown Centre, which spans around 112,000 sq m, has 180 stores. Anchor tenants include Penneys and Marks & Spencer. Goldman Sachs acquired the shopping centre, as well as two adjacent retail parks, external retail units and a fivestorey office block, in December 2020 in a deal worth €750m. At the time, it described the centre as an, “excellent asset in a prime location with a very strong mix of highquality retailers.” Prior to being taken over by Goldman Sachs, Blanchardstown Centre was owned by US investment giant Blackstone. It purchased the shopping complex for €950m from Stephen Vernon’s Green Property in 2016 but walked away from the centre after the pandemic. Goldman Sachs had been among the financial backers for Blackstone’s investment in Blanchardstown and swapped its debt to lead a takeover of the property.

After launching five pilot stores in Ireland last year, Pepco in Ireland is celebrating the opening of another store in The Square, Tallaght. Tallaght will be the sixth pilot Pepco store in Ireland, adding to the Pepco stores in Omni Shopping Centre, Finglas Main Centre, The Park at Carrickmines, The Courtyard at Newbridge and Galway Shopping Centre. Pepco has over 4,000 stores across 19 European countries. Alongside Dealz and Poundland, Pepco is one of three key retail brands operated by the Pepco Group and headquartered in Poznan, Poland. “We’re delighted at the initial reaction to our five Pepco stores in Ireland and we’re extremely excited to be opening our newest Pepco store in Tallaght,” Olivia McLoughlin, trading country operations manager for both Pepco and Dealz in Ireland said.

Dr Paul Cummins appointed Chief Executive Officer of SeaChange Ltd

Dr Paul Cummins has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SeaChange Ltd., succeeding his father and the company’s founder, Ger Cummins, who will continue in the business and serve as acting chair of the board. Since joining the family business in 2011, Paul has been committed to developing SeaChange and says he has worked to grow the business at scale to its current position as a leader in the health and safety industry. With his business acumen, R&D experience, leadership abilities and strategic vision, he added he will continue to contribute significantly to the ongoing success and expansion of SeaChange. “I am very proud and excited to step into this role – one that my father, Ger, has held since founding SeaChange in 2005. My focus will be to continue supporting our extensive client base on their safety culture journeys, keeping people safe at work through our innovative and disruptive Health & Safety solutions while also driving our positive growth trajectory into the future,” Paul said of his new role.

Winners announced at Homegrown at Maxol Programme

A spotlight was shined on six of Ireland’s leading, indigenous food and drinks producers, as Maxol announced the winners of its inaugural Homegrown at Maxol Programme. The winners willl receive a free listing at up to 72 Maxol stores in the Republic of Ireland, as well as invaluable mentorship along with PR and marketing support. While the initial programme set out to reward four indigenous producers, the calibre and scale of entries meant that six winners were chosen from more than 100 hotly contested entries. The winners were: White Hag Brewery (Sligo) a contemporary independent brewery, creating modern beer, All About Kombucha (Galway), a freshly fermented sparkling tea made from organic ingredients, Good 4 U (Sligo), a range of functional, healthy snacks, SAGE Meal Solutions, (Cork) an extensive range of condiments, meal pots, sides, bakes and pies, The Luxury Confectionery Company (Cork), makers of premium chocolate tablet bars and truffles and Absolute Nutrition (Dublin) whose range includes convenient, ‘functional’ protein and energy snacks.