O'Leary family's investment in Douglas Court starting to show
Planners have cleared the way for an expansive health and wellness facility at Douglas Court in Cork as investment in the suburban shopping centre continues under O’Leary family ownership.
Work is also underway to upgrade the 900-space carpark and is expected to be completed by April.
A high-tech German parking system called Cleverciti, which uses AI technology to detect free parking spaces, will also be installed.
The carpark is the first big spend by the O’Leary family.
The next big investment will be in the health and wellness facility which will be developed over 8,000 sq ft in an upstairs area currently used for storage.
It will involve eight units including hair and beauty treatments, fitness classes and other health and wellness practitioners. A lift is to be installed in the mall and two staircases will be opened.
Robert O’Leary, whose father Anthony sold the family’s insurance business in 2020 for a deal estimated to be worth €100m, has left his job in insurance to concentrate fulltime on developing Douglas Court.
He and his two brothers, Nicholas and Peter, are the registered owners of the Douglas Court Partnership. The family bought the shopping centre for €21.5m in January last year.
Mr O’Leary said the focus has been on “slow and sustainable change” in the year since they bought the 84,000 sq ft premises, where they are working with tenants to improve the overall shopping experience for everyone.
Their commitment has paid dividends as footfall is up 7%, a better outcome than the circa 5% they might have expected in year one.
A big factor in the increased footfall is the major revamp carried out by anchor tenant Dunnes Stores which now has an in-house butchers, James Whelan, as well as Off-beat Donuts, Baxter & Green Deli, a new sushi bar and a new gourmet pizza stall.
While Dunnes had carried out some work prior to the O’Learys buying the centre, the expansion of the store to include new offerings and the re-organization of the clothing and household section has taken place in the past year.
“Dunnes were always the big partner here, so it was great that the upgrades they carried out was the number one event to happen,” said Clayton Love, whose Shipton Group has had a long association with shopping centres, and who has been an advisor to the O’Leary family.
Bartosz Mieszala, Property Director with the Douglas Court Partnership, said all but two of the 47 units at the shopping centre are occupied, and that there’s a strong focus on bringing in Cork businesses and showcasing Cork arts and crafts – a replica of a fullsize Rankin dinghy, a favourite in its day among Cork boating families - is currently on display in the centre.
Mr Mieszala said tenants were happy to see a local buyer and a partner they could work with.
Mr O'Leary said it was "the first time in quite some time that tenants would have sat down with an owner instead of an agent”.
The shopping centre was previously owned by Chandos Investments, whose directors were Dublin-based.
New offerings at the centre since the O’Leary’s took over include a generous new jungle-themed soft play area for kids which opened in July; the arrival in August of popular Cork coffee brand Three Fools who now have three shops in the city; the opening in November of Pure, an upmarket ladies’ fashion boutique, filling a large unit previously used for window displays, the opening of a shop by Cork Craft and Design and the arrival of Grounded, a family business offering a selection of ASAI bowls, desserts, coffee and toasties.
Phone accessories shop Hug Me will open shortly.
The Cobbler shoemaker has moved into a bigger unit in the centre.
Mr Mieszala has been driving a community engagement campaign, including a hugely popular kite festival which culminated in hanging kids’ kites from the mall ceilings; a Hallowe’en display with props designed by local schools and a pretty spectacular Christmas display again drawing on input from local schools.
Yesterday, roses, chocolates and red balloons were part of the St Valentine’s Day giveaway.
“We’ve been getting fantastic feedback about all the improvements. People are blown away,” Mr Mieszala said.
“What’s more the impact of the Dunnes upgrade is only beginning. What they’ve done is spectacular and it’s been widely welcomed by our Douglas community,” he said.
Mr Love said the aim was to make the shopping centre “something really special”.
“The new owners want Douglas Court to be the best shopping centre out there. The five-year plan is to have it recognised as the best in the game and it’s done very well in its first year,” Mr Love said.
