It is seldom these days that a family builds its own shopping centre but that is exactly what is happening in Crumlin at the moment. The Smith family, owners of the Submarine Bar, are spending no less than £20 million on their new Ashleaf Shopping Centre, which will have Dunnes Stores as its anchor. The rents have surprised even the most hardened estate agents - ranging from £60 to £70 per square foot, an unheard of level in a mainly working class area.
The family are obviously set to capitalise on their good fortune with a rental income of £1.4 million. While many developers would obviously be happy to sell off their investment at a handsome profit in today's scarce investment market, the Smiths are apparently in it for the long haul.
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