‘We are too quick to talk Limerick city down’ - leading auctioneer

A NUMBER of years ago Gordon Kearney, managing director of Rooney Auctioneers, recalls showing a national retailer around Limerick city - and he wishes he could do it again now.

He said a man and a woman, on behalf of the company, visited to do a site visit, have a walk around and look at available units.

“I walked them up O’Connell Street and they commented, ‘My God is this O’Connell Street?’. It looked so tired and jaded with tarmac patches and concrete footpaths - it just looked awful. They didn’t do anything in Limerick. I would love if they came back today because I think if they walked up O’Connell Street they would have a different experience.

“It is now far more appealing to national retailers but we need to let them know it has changed and we need to encourage them to come back, look and consider Limerick,” said Mr Kearney, who spoke to the Leader regarding four new lettings in the city in recent times - Swaad, Henry Street; Cavavin, Bedford Row; Caffe Nero, Thomas Street and The Food Point, Rutland Street.

Mr Kearney said people can be very loud in talking down the city and being negative about it but “when things are going in the right direction we all need to shout in unison”.

Rival Limerick pharmacies to come together in takeover deal

“We are too quick to talk it down, I don’t think we are as quick to talk it up,” he said.

The four new premises all have a common theme - food and beverage.

“I think we have more coffee shops and bistros and restaurants than we’ve ever had in Limerick. We could end up being a destination - let’s head into town, we’ll find a nice cafe, a restaurant for lunch or dinner, or meet up for a pint. That is why people will still come into the city centre - they want to have that vibrancy,” said Mr Kearney.

And in turn it could encourage additional traditional retailers to return.

“The more food and beverage offerings we have, the more attractive it will be for people to come in and the more people that come in may result in some of those traditional retailers saying footfall has gone up 20% in the city. Why don’t we go back and have a look at it and we could have a snowball effect that improves year on year,” said Mr Kearney.

The elephant in the city has been the O’Connell Street works.

“I think we’ve had the bones of three years of, 'I don't want to go into town because there are traffic jams, there are roadworks, there is hammering, there is drilling, there is potholes, I don’t know if I’ll get up O’Connell Street, I don’t know where to park'. We have had three years of very much dissuading people from coming into the city unless they have to come in.

“Since it has finished I have witnessed people I haven’t seen in years coming back into the city centre and some of the retailers I have met downtown have witnessed the same. We need to get that message out more that our city is back open and O’Connell Street is finished, that it is easy to come in and manoeuvre, easier to find multi-storey car parking and you're welcome back.

“The works are done - like them or loathe them - our main street was looking very tired and very old fashioned. Something had to be done. Is it what everyone wants? No but I don’t think we are ever going to get something that everybody wants but something had to be done, it’s done, let's get on with it, let's be positive about it and let’s get people back in the city centre,” said Mr Kearney, who also referred to more people living in the city through the Living City Initiative and additional jobs.

“Kirkland Developments' 1BQ is progressing well and there is talk that there are a number of companies looking at that. You could see 1,000 people employed in that building and think of the knock-on effects for the city. It is where the city is going towards. We're not there yet but that's where we're heading towards,” concluded Mr Kearney.