£55m shopping centre opens in Crumlin

Only one retail unit is still available in Dublin's latest shopping centre, which is to open in Crumlin next Tuesday.

The £55 million Ashleaf Centre is located in a densely populated area within 10 minutes' drive of more than 39,000 households. The 80,000 sq ft retail complex has been developed on a site of almost 4.5 acres at the busy intersection of Cromwellsfort Road and Whitehall Road West, just south of Crumlin village.

The shopping centre is anchored by a 52,000 sq ft Dunnes Stores supermarket and drapery shop. It will have the distinctive new style of fit-out which Dunnes plans to replicate in all its stores. There are a further 25 ground-floor shop units in addition to the Submarine Bar, which has been rebuilt on a huge scale, giving it 15,000 sq ft of floor space.

Rents for the retail units will vary between £50 and £65 per sq ft, depending on the size of the unit. The highest rent of £100,000 will be paid by British fashion chain The Jean Scene for a double unit of 2,300 sq ft on the ground floor.

The remaining unit has 1,370 sq ft and is aimed at a footwear or fashion trader. The rent will be £60,000 per annum.

Leases are for the standard 25-year term, with tenants responsible for full repair and insurance, and an annual service charge that will work out at about £6.50 per sq ft.

Units are fitted out with basic services, but tenants are responsible for the internal fit-out and shopfronts.

Other tenants in the centre include McDonalds, Carphone Warehouse, Budget Travel, a Health Matters health food shop, and Satellite Sports. There will be a Unicare pharmacy, above which it is planned to have a health centre, giving customers a one-stop shop for medical needs.

Access to Dunnes Stores can only be made through the shopping mall, which should ensure a captive audience for other traders. The careful choice of tenant mix will help to guarantee the success of the centre, according to Mr Eoin Conway of joint letting agents Mason Owen Lyons.

The centre has been developed by brothers John and Frank Smith, whose range of business interests include the Submarine Bar, which has become a landmark building in Crumlin.

The rapid development of housing estates in areas adjoining Crumlin in recent years has accentuated the need for a large shopping complex such as Ashleaf. Crumlin's reasonable proximity to the city centre and up-and-coming image has helped to attract young couples and lower the age profile of this Dublin suburb.

Developer John Smith said the housing density in the Crumlin area, and lack of quality shopping up to now, will make Ashleaf an attractive alternative to centres such as Blanchardstown, Tallaght and Liffey Valley.

"People will shop more regularly in a local centre rather than getting caught in traffic jams, motorways and toll bridges; they will support their local community as well."

The centre has a basement-level covered car-park with 600 spaces, which leads to the shopping mall via a number of lifts and a travelator, with free parking for up to two hours. Set-down areas for local buses have been provided next to the centre, which has some of the best public transport services in the city, Mr Smith said.

However, with the centre located at the busy Crumlin Cross junction on main roads into town and out to the M50, it remains to be seen what sort of traffic problems the new centre will pose for the area.

As well as the retail development, the developers are now releasing 18,000 sq ft of office space on the upper floors of the centre. There is an 8,000 sq ft and 10,000 sq ft block on either side of the centre. Each has a separate on-street reception area and a lift serving the offices.

Tenants will have the option of renting an entire block or individual units starting at 1,000 sq ft. Mr Eoin Conway said he expected to secure rents of between £16 and £22 per sq ft, depending on the volume of space taken.

He said the offices will be ideal for companies hoping to be near the city centre yet within easy striking distance of the M50 corridor and surrounding industrial estates.

The total rent roll from the Ashleaf centre is likely to be about £1.6 million, and despite a number of expressions of interest, the Smith brothers have made it clear they have no intention of selling the centre.