DIY chains do it for themselves
Irish Examiner, Thursday 13th May 2004

British and Irish DIY giants are going head-to-head in the battle for market share in an increasingly tough domestic market.

And the main players are all going for maximum permitted sizes of 50,000ft² -plus stores, with added-on garden centres.

Underlying the battle for supremacy, a new battleground shaping up is Cork city and surrounds, with B&Q, Homebase, Atlantic Homecare and Woodies all jockeying for prime position.

Woodies, in Cork since 1990, is about to move across the Kinsale Road from its 14-year old 26,000ft² ‘superstore’.

It will double its presence in size to 54,000ft² plus 12,000ft² garden centre.

It has agreed to lease a large new purpose–built store on the site of the former John A Woods yard, a strategic site acquired three years ago by Motor Services Ltd/the O’Flaherty family, owners of Turners Cross Motors.

Nicholas Corson of Finnegan Menton acted for Motor Services, who also plans a new car sales showroom on a portion of the site; John Costelloe of Costelloe Commercial acted for Woodies; and O’Riordan Staehli architects (now Reddy O’Riordan Staehli) designed the building.

Woodies/Grafton Group MD Ray Coleman said they had been looking to pick up a site for a new Cork store for some time and found it difficult to source.

Its new base is within a few hundred yards of its existing hugely popular store opposite CMP dairies where Dairygold have sought planning for offices.

It will have 368 car parking spaces, carry the full range of Woodies products and rent is in the region of €20 per square foot or €215 per square metre, said Mr. Coleman.

An opening date of Easter 2005 is envisaged and site clearance work is currently underway on the old John A Wood site.

Staff numbers are set to rise from 38 to 64, and currently the chain has 17 stores nationwide. It opened in Clonmel last year, and will open in Kilkenny in October 2004, and has a Naas Road site due to open in June of this year.

Meanwhile, also on the move is Atlantic Homecare trading up from its 12,000ft² Mallow Road/Blackpool store to a new €2 million unit, anchoring the Blackpool retail park development spearhead by Clayton Lane Jnr just north of the new shopping centre.

It is the fourth new Atlantic Homecare store announced since late 2003, and the company currently has 13 outlets.

The €2 million Blackpool store will bring 40 jobs and is due to open in November. Atlantic Homecare stores are to open in Tullamore in September, in Wexford in October, while a Limerick store will open early next year.

Meanwhile, in the biggest stir to the DIY market in the lower half of the country, B&Q are to take 50,000ft², plus 10,000ft² garden centre in Owen O’Callaghan’s €500 million Mahon Point development, due to open in Easter 2005 and employing a high staff ratio, with up to 130 employees anticipated. Rent is in the order of €1 million per annum. B&Q have three Dublin outlets, with its third due to open in Swords.

Meanwhile, the other large UK-based giant Homebase is also expected to announce its move to O’Flynn Construction’s East Gate, to a 45,000ft² unit with 15,000ft² garden centre very shortly.

The unit is fully built, and O’Flynn's also recently secured planning permission on appeal from An Bord Pleanala to build a further phase of retail warehousing at East Gate.

Meanwhile, given the competition in the sector, Irish firm Wigoders which is over 100 years in operation, is to rationalise its spread of shops to ensure viability. Details Woodies site, Kinsale Road, Finnegan Menton 01 6768127.