Debenhams Ireland
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| Retailer | |
| Founded | 1901 (as Roches Stores) |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
| Products | Fashion clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home & furniture, electricals, gifts, toys |
| Parent | Debenhams |
| Website | www.debenhams.ie |
Debenhams Ireland is a national chain of department stores in Ireland, that is owned by Debenhams plc.
Founded in Cork in 1901 by William Roche, as a small furniture shop, the chain grew to eleven stores throughout Ireland. In October 2007, Roches Stores ceased operating. Today, the Roche family leases the buildings which formerly housed Roches Stores to Debenhams Ireland. Debenhams mainly supports and sells a wide range of British goods, from cosmetics to houseware to clothes and stationery.
Roches Stores caused huge controversy in the 1970s and early 1980s when it demolished Frescati House in Blackrock, the home of Lord Edward FitzGerald. This is to this day still recognised as a major cultural loss to the Blackrock area and with the development of newer shopping centres in Dublin, the justification for a centre at Frescati has diminished with the memories of the chain. Within sight of such an action, the property was demolished after hours to prevent protesters from mounting a demonstration.
Most of the larger Roches Stores locations had a supermarket on-site. In 1998 these stores became franchises of SuperValu, branded as "SuperValu at Roches Stores". However between 2004 and 2006, the supermarkets were closed down, with the exception of the store at Patrick St in Cork, which continues to trade as a SuperValu.
Roches Stores also had an aborted attempt in the Northern Ireland market with a store in Newry. This was closed in 2002 and announced that it would be redeveloped into a Debenhams store. It was not an acquisition, as the staff from Roches were made redundant and then were welcome to reapply to Debenhams when it opened 2 years later, although many by this time had found new jobs. This was the first contact between Debenhams and Roches and in July 2006, Irish newspapers reported that Roches Stores was in discussion with the British department store chain Debenhams plc, with regard to a possible sale of the business.
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Wikipedia