Prime Cork city retail unit to be reopened as big retailer gets ready to move in

ANOTHER prominent Cork city retail property is set to be reopened under a new banner.

It has been revealed that Carroll’s Irish Gifts are to take over the former Oasis store on Patrick St.

The prime location has been left idle since the closure of the fashion store after a liquidator was appointed to Oasis/Warehouse fashion shops at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The vacant property on No 48 and 49 Patrick St has been one of the most high-profile unocuppied locations on Cork’s main shopping street since. 

Carroll’s Irish Gifts already operate on No 10 Patrick St and will continue to trade out of both stores.

A fit out of the new Carroll’s store begun earlier this week, with the Irish merchandise store hoping to capitalise on the nearby English Market, a well-known tourist hotspot in the city centre.

The Irish gift store first began trading in 1982, operating in Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Kilkenny.

According to letting agency, Bannon, the Irish store chain was successful in securing a ten-year lease on the property for a rental cost of €200,000 per annum.

James Quinlan of Bannon Letting Agency has said that there was, “good interest in the building mainly from fashion, beauty and giftware retailers” for the store located on the corner of Princes Street and Pana.

The shopping street is set for a further revival in the coming months as the former Debenhams store is due to open under new owners Elvery’s Intersport by the end of this year with reports that interest has been shown in No 79 and No 63 by investors.

Speaking to The Echo recently, Michael Cummins, the store manager for the Carroll’s Irish Gifts store in Cork city, said: “We currently have 20 members of staff here in our Cork store as we are gearing up to open a second store here on Patrick Street where the old Oasis shop once stood.

“These are very exciting times for us all as we can’t wait to expand and offer more choice to the good people of Cork and all of our visitors from all over the world.”