Re: Re: Roches Stores gone!

@a boyle wrote:

Yes but i don’t think dublin will end up with a completely bland repeat of other cities.

I dont agree with you…I think we are half way there. There is nothing in Dublin (from a retail perspective) to distinguish it from a small UK city. Debenhams, Boots, Topshop, River Island….etc all UK brands.

Grafton street will , but that is kind of what people want , they want lower(ish) prices.
the rest of the city is awash with indigenous shops.

Is it really! I certainly never noticed that. Chain stores abound in Dublin (as they do most elsewhere these days) I actually think the indigenous range of stores in Dublin is very low and always has been since I can remember. Perhaps you could point out good examples of areas/streets “awash” with shops.

and starbucks has not been able to do very much in dublin at all, as the local brands are so strong (and in one or two cases carbon copies of starbucks)

Its possibly early days yet for Starbucks.

Its not the end of the world that Roches has gone out of business….that true but I’m not convinced that its healthy that cities should just become carbon copies of each other. This is particularly so in retail as cities are becoming shopping destinations now. I think its good for a city to preserve and promote diversity.

On the other hand, ultimately are people just getting what they want? Perhaps. It brings up that age old planning question: should we be saving the masses from themselves? :p Or rather from the market. I think the DCC initiative to regulate shops on Grafton Street is a good case of this and its worthwhile doing.