Sad day for Ballymun

LAST week’s announcement that Tesco will be checking out of Ballymun at the end of April has been met with a mixture of sadness and shock.

The company says the store in the declining Ballymun Town Centre is no longer viable despite efforts to revive the centre over the past number of years.

A spokesperson confirmed there’ll be no job losses following the closure and new positions will be offered to all staff.

“It’s a very sad day but I think the first and most important thing to say is that we’ve secured alternative jobs for all the staff within the company,

? he said.

“We have around 2,000 people employed in this part of the Northside at the depot, Clare Hall, Artane, Santry, Clearwater, Prussia Street and Cabra.

“We’re basically the last retailer here in the centre. Our lease was up in around 2009 but we rolled on because planning permission was granted for redevelopment and we expected something to happen.

?

Tesco again looked at the future of the store in 2011 when it opened a branch in Cabra and sought to relocate staff there. However, staff convinced the company to keep trading in the hope that the Town Centre’s fortunes would change.

“They asked us to give it another try so we took an extension on the lease and kept it open for another couple of years,

? the spokesperson added.

“That finished last November and now the store is just not viable.

“There’s been no investment in the centre. We’ve put money into doing it up the last couple of years but there’s only so much you can do. It really does need a redevelopment.

?

The Town Centre’s anchor supermarket began as a Quinnsworth store in the 1970s and later became Crazy Prices before being rebranded as Tesco.

News of the closure now puts a huge question mark over the future of the centre.

Dublin North West TD, John Lyons (Lab), said that while locals had been expecting the news it still came as a shock when it was officially announced.

“First of all, it is welcome news that all 52 employees in Tesco will keep their jobs and be reassigned to other stores,

? he continued.

“This is hugely important for local employment, which has begun to recover in the last two years in line with the rest of the country.

“The loss of Tesco to the shopping centre will of course be felt by local residents who rely on a supermarket in the shopping centre. It will also affect other local businesses in the centre who benefit from an anchor tenant like Tesco being there.

?

Local TD, Dessie Ellis (SF) said the closure was

“a blow to the confidence of the area

? while party colleague, Noeleen Reilly described it as

“a very sad day for the whole community in Ballymun

?.

“My heart goes out to all the staff members who are taking this news in at the moment,

? she said.

Local councillor, Paul McAuliffe (FF), said he was concerned for workers in neighbouring shops, which are expected to experience a massive decrease in footfall without Tesco.

Fine Gael local election candidate, Noel Rock, described last week’s news as

“disappointing and frustrating

? and expressed concern for residents who have done their weekly shop at the supermarket for decades.

“My own family have been shopping there for as long as I can remember and, in truth, this will be a hammer-blow to them as, like many local residents, they don’t own a car and rely on local services such as this,

? he told Northside People.

Independent candidate, Seán Tyrrell, added his voice to those expressing concerns for the future of Ballymun Town Centre following Tesco’s closure.

“First I want to express that I am delighted to hear that it looks like the jobs of the employees are safe,

? he said,

“Tesco was the only anchor store inside the centre, and I now have deep concerns over the very few occupied units left in the centre.

?