Clerys O'Connell St is no more

[armaghniac]

Clerys of O'Connell St, Dublin 1, home of a department store since 1854, has closed,

Will there be no relic of the oul dacency?

[Over the Bar]

Thanks to the shop-workers Union!   12 euros an hour min wage and double time on Sundays! 

[armaghniac]

Thanks to the shop-workers Union!   12 euros an hour min wage and double time on Sundays!

If workers don't earn anything there will be nobody to buy stuff in the shops.

A more likely cause is the authorities allowing the place become overrun with druggies and bowsies of all sorts rather than anyone who works for a living.

[easytiger95]

O'Connell Street now is actually a much safer thoroughfare than it was 10 years ago, the "druggies and bowsies" migrated mainly to the liffey boardwalk. Of course, the reason for all the addicts in Dublin city centre is the centralisation of the methadone clinics in Marlborough Street and Townsend Street.

I won't hugely miss Clerys - inside it had become very rundown and tatty. I hope whatever goes in there though preserves the facade of the building, which is iconic. O'Connell St doesn't need another knockdown/redevelopment job.

[armaghniac]

It seems that it was the usual blight of overpriced property. They bought a neighbouring building in the boom, this bust them.

[easytiger95]

Long slow decline for them, think they were doomed a long way out - the big one stop shop model just didn't work anymore. Arnotts went through the same a few years back, but they seem to have got back to profitability under new management.

[Shamrock Shore]

Nuns will have to get their unmentionables online from now on.

Arnotts is even fuckeder but still it's open.

Shame to see Cleary's go under. Been there a long time and 'Under Cleary's Clock' is where manys a romance started.

[Nigel White]

Long slow decline for them, think they were doomed a long way out - the big one stop shop model just didn't work anymore. Arnotts went through the same a few years back, but they seem to have got back to profitability under new management.

This model seems to work okay for Debenhams

[easytiger95]

I'm talking furniture, homeware, lighting, appliances etc all that kind of stuff. Debenhams don't do anywhere near as extensive a range as Clerys did or Arnotts still do.

[Nigel White]

I think the issue is that the single store model cant compete with the multi store model.  Lots of big stores have closed, Anderson & McCauley, Robinson & Cleaver in Belfast to name a couple. Mind you McIlhinneys in Ballybofey still seems to be doing well

[gerrykeegan]

Shame to see Cleary's go under. Been there a long time and 'Under Cleary's Clock' is where manys a romance started.

I met a young one one night and arranged to meet her under Cleary's Clock the next day. This was life before mobile phones. I was under the clock when I thought maybe it was Eason's clock, I then spent the next half an hour running between the two clocks. Fecking bitch never turned up!

[Syferus]

Meh.

Someone will revive this and no one will shop in it again and it'll close again. It's like a boring roller-coaster.

[armaghniac]

Shame to see Cleary's go under. Been there a long time and 'Under Cleary's Clock' is where manys a romance started.

I met a young one one night and arranged to meet her under Cleary's Clock the next day. This was life before mobile phones. I was under the clock when I thought maybe it was Eason's clock, I then spent the next half an hour running between the two clocks. Fecking bitch never turned up!

I met this young one under the Irish Times clock and she was giving out yards that some waster from the midlands hadn't shown up. I had to comfort her.

[Owenmoresider]

Meh.

Someone will revive this and no one will shop in it again and it'll close again. It's like a boring roller-coaster.

It was no match for Boles of Boyle I guess.

[mouview]

Shame to see Cleary's go under. Been there a long time and 'Under Cleary's Clock' is where manys a romance started.

I met a young one one night and arranged to meet her under Cleary's Clock the next day. This was life before mobile phones. I was under the clock when I thought maybe it was Eason's clock, I then spent the next half an hour running between the two clocks. Fecking bitch never turned up!

I met this young one under the Irish Times clock and she was giving out yards that some waster from the midlands hadn't shown up. I had to comfort her.