Hammerson Finds New Tenant For Empty Dundrum Department Store

Fashion retailer Penneys has opened its latest store in Dundrum Town Centre after a €16M investment on the outlet, which is located on the second and third floors of the shopping centre.

It occupies the former House of Fraser site, featuring 60K SF of retail space, an increase of almost two-thirds over the previous store, with a wider range of clothing, accessories, an in-store beauty salon, and a vintage and one-off clothing concession, plus an expanded homewares section.

It becomes the third-largest of the company’s 37 Penneys in Ireland and the retailer has committed to investing more than €250M in the country over the next 10 years.

Nike Live also opened at the Hammerson-owned mall in June, marking a debut of the concept in the country.

Penneys' former store in Dundrum is set to be occupied by Dunnes Stores.

“Our continued investment in our Irish business demonstrates the confidence and commitment we have in our home market, and we are proud to continue to play our part in supporting Irish cities, towns and communities,” Penneys Ireland and Northern Ireland Head Damien O’Neill said.

Primark has also opened new stores in Europe and the U.S. recently as part of a €50M investment that brings the total number of stores worldwide to 422.

In May Primark opened its first store in Slovakia in the Eurovea Shopping Centre, Bratislava, investing over €10M as the retailer entered its 16th international market.

Primark already has eight stores in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Romania and plans a second store in Romania, plus two further stores in Poland due to open later this year.

It has also announced plans for its first store in Budapest, Hungary, which is expected to open next year.