Roches Stores to pull out of food market
31/01/2005 - 12:23:46
Roches Stores is to pull out of supermarket trading to focus solely on the non-food side of its business, the group announced today.
The existing Roches Stores supermarkets at Blackrock, Co Dublin and Eyre Square, Galway locations will now be operated by Marks & Spencer. The supermarkets in Cork at Patrick Street and Wilton will remain as part of the SuperValu franchise and will be operated by the Caulfield McCarthy Group.
"This move is consistent with Roches Stores strategic focus on its fashion and homewares business in recent years," Roches said in a statement today.
“The development of Roches Stores and partnerships with leading international names like Zara, Pull and Bear, Springfield and The Pier has been hugely well received by our customers. Our newly-developed stores are all about exciting fashion brands and stylish homewares."
The closure of the existing supermarkets will take place in Blackrock on Wednesday, March 2 and in Galway on Monday, March 21 with Marks & Spencer expected to be operational by June 2005 in both locations.
The supermarkets in Cork will be operated by the Caulfield McCarthy Group from Wednesday, May 4.
All employees from the existing supermarkets will be transferred to the new Marks & Spencer stores in Blackrock and Galway and to the Caulfield McCarthy Group operated SuperValu supermarkets in both Cork locations.
In a statement Donal Horgan, Managing Director of Musgrave SuperValu Centra stated: “Whilst disappointed to lose the food business in Blackrock and Galway, we are delighted that one of our largest retail partners is committing to operate both Patrick Street and Wilton.”
“We anticipated this move by Roches Stores in Dublin and Galway some time ago and we have already replaced this business through an aggressive new store-opening programme. In 2004, we opened 14 new SuperValu outlets throughout the Republic of Ireland – five in Dublin [in addition to stores in] Ballybunion, Clonmel, Killaloe, Cobh, Glenamaddy, Killorglin, Listowel, Navan and Moycullen."
