Retail shake-up for South King Street

Dublin's South King Street, running along the side of the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, is getting a shake-up with four of the shops close to Bus Stop newsagents on the corner with Grafton Street in the process of changing hands. The pedestrianised street has been experiencing an ever increasing number of shoppers largely because of the proven appeal of Zara, H&M and Warehouse.

Specs Express at number 55 has been taken over by MD Golf, a Northern Ireland-based golf equipment retailer, which will add to the variety of traders in the city centre. The company has taken a 10-year lease of the premises which has a floor area of 97sq m (1,044sq ft) on three levels including 40sq m (480sq ft) at street level. The rent will be around €100,000, according to letting agent Stephen McCarthy of Savills.

A new management company is to take over The Joke Shop at number 52 which has been run by another trader for the past 33 years. The new operators, who specialise in selling birthday and other greeting cards, will continue to cater for groups dressing up for stag and hen parties. They are due to pay a rent of €85,000 for the shop and store which extend to around 65sq m (700sq ft) on the ground floor. The letting is being handled by Brian Bagnell & Associates.

In the third reshuffle on the street, the long running Oriental restaurant, New Millennium, has closed and is to be replaced by Café Nero. It already has two other outlets at Merrion Row, Donnybrook Road, the IFSC and Park Place on Hatch Street. The new rent here is likely to be at least €100,000 given that it has a large ground floor premises. Aidan McDonnell of Colliers International is retained as an adviser by Café Nero.

The fourth shop on South King Street with a new trader, Lifestyle Sports, is in fact linked up to the newly amalgamated buildings at 57/58 Grafton Street. The South King Street frontage will be a back entrance to the L-shaped building which previously traded as Zerup. The enlarged premises rented at around €675,000 per annum is expected to go for sale later this year.