He's tailored for movie stars, sports stars and presidents - now he's measuring up a new Cork store for fit-out.

Shares in UK high street retailer Debenhams,which has 16 stores in the Republic and the North, plunged over 10% as it confirmed it was considering “longer-term options”, including possible further store closures.

Inniscarra Dramatic Society was putting on a production of… well no one is clear to this day what it was. They hired a man called Suni to teach some singing and dancing for a variety show, writes Colm O’Regan

OVER €100m has been invested off-market, across three low-key retail deals, in the heart of Cork City, at Opera Lane, Merchants Quay/Marks & Spencers Shopping Centre, and St Patrick’s St.

Planning permission for the €100m-plus renewal of the 40-year-old Wilton Shopping Centre is being sought from Cork City Council this week.

Catch up on this morning's headlines...

The iconic Roches Stores building, in the centre of Cork City, is up for sale and is expected to make more than €70m for its owners, the Roche family.

WITH plans afoot for the €70m-plus investment property sale of the ‘old’ Roches Stores/Debenhams Cork’s store by the publicity-shy Roche family, the arrival of a neighbouring niche investment with a more modest €1.5m price tag has impeccable timing, and opportunity.

The Irish arm of UK retailer Debenhams posted an after-tax profit of €19.2m last year following a successful examinership when a large amount of debt was written off.

The legacy of the late Owen O’Callaghan can be seen throughout his native Cork and beyond.

International clothes retailer Superdry has backed down and reinstated the famous sign over the former Moderne store it now occupies on Cork’s main shopping street.

Pre-tax losses at the Irish arm of UK retailer, Debenhams last year increased by 21% to €8.4m, new figures show.

There are some Americanisms that bug me — like the use of the word ‘already’ out of context or the hijacking of the term ‘awesome’ to refer to anything from agreement to a nice sandwich.

"The street is devastated, a legend has passed on."

While none of the films are new to the internet, many of them are already widely circulated. For instance, Great Cork Treaty (1922), a silent panorama of Michael Collins addressing thousands of people on Cork’s Grand Parade, when the throng is thrown into disarray by gunshots...

Nama has installed receivers to take control of a suite of companies run by a publicity-shy property investor once regarded one of the country’s most ambitious boom-time speculators.

Victoria White visits Istanbul’s Taksim Square and the takes the pulse of a country on the edge.

I’m the youngest of nine. Not one of them is in showbiz!

DEBENHAMS saw revenues at its Irish stores continue to slide this year, but it is planning to open two stores in the coming years.

DUNNES Stores’ right-hand man Dan Barrett has occupied all of the hot seats.

DEPARTMENT store Debenhams lost around €36 million in sales because of the snowy conditions.

THE burning of Cork, one of the worst atrocities of the War of Independence, will be remembered in the city this weekend.

IT was burned and rebuilt, dug up and revamped.

A CHALLENGING year for Debenhams Retail (Ireland) saw its pre-tax profits plunge from €16.7 million to almost €6m last year.

DEBENHAMS suffered a £10.1 million (€11.5m) first half hit from the restructuring of its Irish operations, but still saw its half-year profits exceed market expectations.

BRITISH department store Debenhams has said that like-for-like sales in the first half of its current financial year have risen marginally and that sales have been improving since Christmas.

SALES at Debenhams increased this Christmas despite the department store discounting less items than the previous year.

WHEN the going gets tough, the really tough go ...shopping?

WHEN Dunnes Stores opened its first store in Cork, World War II was being fought, Winston Churchill was preparing for D-Day, and food, clothing, petrol and nylons werebeing rationed. That was March 31, 1944.

DEBENHAMS Retail (Ireland) returned to profitability last year in Ireland following massive pre-tax losses in 2007 which resulted from acquisition of Roches Stores.

THE large numbers of Irish shoppers heading north for their shopping requirements has helped boost first half profits at British department store operator, Debenhams by nearly 11%.

BRITISH retailer Debenhams has said first-half sales fell after higher living costs caused consumers to spend less on clothes.

DEBENHAMS has reported a good performance at its Irish shops over Christmas, while Tesco’s Irish sales also appear strong.

THE Christmas shopping frenzy is barely over but Cork shoppers are turning their efforts to bargain hunting in the winter sales.

IT was hats off to Santa when he pulled into Limerick at the weekend on a very special mission.

PENNEYS is expected to be announced within the next few days as the new anchor tenant of a Cork shopping centre as 172 staff of the old tenant, Roches Stores, are due to collect their redundancies.

ELEVEN senior staff at the former Roches Stores outlet in Waterford city have been suspended without pay after unofficial industrial action at the store on Saturday.

ROCHES Stores has contacted some of the 172 staff it is making redundant in Cork to tell them their entitlements have been processed.

ELEVENTH hour negotiations will decide whether 172 retail jobs will be saved in Cork — but even if they go ahead there is little optimism that they will be successful.