Former McElhinneys of Athboy for €600,000

The former McElhinneys department store in Athboy, Co Meath, is quoting €650,000 through joint selling agents DTZ Sherry FitzGerald and Sherry FitzGerald Sherry.

McElhinneys had been the subject of a long-running dispute between its owners, various members of the Sweeney family, and Bank of Ireland over a €2.34 million loan owed to the bank.

A receiver was appointed to the business in 2013, and was granted a court order to take possession of the premises in 2014. However, the receiver only got the keys to the premises after a mandatory possession order was issued by a High Court judge in 2016.

The premises extends to 1,812sq m (19,509sq ft) with frontage on to both Main Street and a side road which provides access to St James’s church and the local library.

It is in the heart of Athboy, and the space is divided up between an open-plan department store with a mezzanine level to the front and a café to the rear with kitchen and seating area. The rear of the ground floor and first floor is used for storage and staff facilities.

There is car parking to the side and rear of the premises for around 35 cars, while the overall site area extends to 0.66 of an acre.

Johnny O’Connor, a divisional director with DTZ Sherry FitzGerald, says the building has the potential to be subdivided into a number of commercial units.

McElhinneys was one of the best-known department stores in Leinster.