Blow for Long Walk Shopping Centre as Carroll’s closes its doors after 20 years

The Long Walk Shopping Centre has suffered a blow to start the year following the year closure of Carroll’s Newsagents and Hallmark store.

The business, run by Ian Carroll, had occupied two units in the centre since its opening in 1994.

It is understood that the Carroll family opted to close the units following a request for higher rent.

Six staff are understood to have lost their jobs as the business turns its local focus to the Hallmark store in the Marshes Shopping Centre. The store will now primarily concentrate on the likes of greeting cards and gifts and will no longer sell newspapers.

The closure of Carroll’s in the Long Walk comes almost exactly 10 years on from their decision to pull out of the old Dundalk Shopping Centre as owners Wanze Properties looked to redevelop the site.

The Carroll family had been one of the original tenants of the Dundalk Shopping Centre when it opened its doors back in October 1974 along with Kate English, Michael Connolly, Michael Gallagher and the late Eamon Dowd.

The closure of Carroll’s is the latest blow to the Long Walk Shopping Centre following the closure of the anchor store, Penneys, last year.

There was some good news for the centre last week when, despite local speculation to the contrary, Tesco announced they would not be closing any Irish stores this year.

The closure of Carroll’s isn’t the only recent store closure locally after the Left Bank Restaurant on Park Street shut its doors just before Christmas.

New café given the go ahead at Tesco megastore

An artist’s impression of what the new Tesco will look like when it reopens in August 2014

Wanze Properties (Dundalk) Limited, the company behind the construction of the new Tesco Xtra megastore in Dundalk, have been given the go ahead to install a new café in the revamped supermarket.

The company were recently granted planning permission to extend unit 4 in the premises by circa 42 square metres from 127 square metres to 169 square metres.

They have also been given permission to the change the use of the unit to a café, while they are also set to rearrange the adjacent ancillary services area and toilet facilities.

The new Tesco Xtra megastore will be located on the site of the old Dundalk Shopping Centre at the junction of Dublin Street, Hill Street and Stapleton Place.

The old centre was demolished before Christmas with construction work on the new Tesco premises well underway at this stage ahead of its expected opening in August.

As well as Tesco, the new building is also set to feature Traynor’s Butchers and Hickey’s Pharmacy, who are both operating out of temporary units alongside a Tesco Metro store on the Avenue Road during the construction phase.

Tesco hoping to include café in new Dundalk megastore

An artist’s impression of what the new Tesco will look like when it reopens in August 2014

Wanze Properties (Dundalk) Limited, the company behind the construction of the new Tesco Xtra megastore in Dundalk are hoping to install a new café in the revamped supermarket.

The company have applied to Dundalk Town Council for planning permission to extend unit 4 in the premises by circa 42 square metres from 127 square metres to 169 square metres.

They have also sought permission to the change the use of the unit to a café, while they are also looking to rearrange the adjacent ancillary services area and toilet facilities.

The new Tesco Xtra megastore will be located on the site of the old Dundalk Shopping Centre at the junction of Dublin Street, Hill Street and Stapleton Place.

The old centre was demolished before Christmas with construction work on the new Tesco premises well underway at this stage ahead of its expected opening in August.

As well as Tesco, the new building is also set to feature Traynor’s Butchers and Hickey’s Pharmacy, who are both operating out of temporary units alongside a Tesco Metro store on the Avenue Road during the construction phase.