Document Type

Article

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

Business and Management.

Publication Details

Journal of Retail & Consumer Services, Vol. 8, PP213-225

Abstract

In Dublin city competition within the retail sector is intensifying and city-centre department stores, in common with other traders, face many challenges. Indigenous retailers must contend not only with each other, but also with an on-going invasion of international retailers who have been attracted by Ireland’s booming economy. UK multiples have made major in-roads into Dublin's retail scene and the city centre's latest shopping mall, The Jervis Centre, is so dominated by UK retailers that it has been christened 'Little Britain' In the past fifty years, many of Dublin's once dominant department stores have succumbed to the vagaries of retailing. Now, only three traditional Irish department stores continue to trade. These stores, sometimes referred to as dinosaurs, have managed to survive as the wheel of retailing continues its relentless revolutions. In every direction, new or expanded or refurbished shopping centres and shops are in the process of completion in the city centre, in satellite towns and outer suburbs. By the close of 1997 nearly two million sq. ft. of shopping space will have been built in the capital - the biggest investment in retailing for over ten years. Dublin's unique 18th century streetscape now provides a backdrop for what has become a recognised cosmopolitan shopping city. The concentrated arrival of British multiples has brought tangible benefits to consumers via greater choice. However, the internationalisation of Dublin's retail scene has led to fears that indigenous Irish companies will be washed away by major UK multiples with greater financial power. While rumours of the demise of Dublin's remaining stand-alone Department stores are constant and obviously exaggerated, undoubtedly these stores have faced difficult times. This paper considers the strategic response of Dublin's traditional department stores to intensifying competition and provides an insight into the strategic thinking of Irish department store managers.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/D78N54

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