Dixons Carphone has said it is shutting more than 130 stores under plans to roll out new electrical superstores over the next year and a half.

A warehouse building with other potential higher-end uses in Cork city’s western suburbs, close to third-level college CIT, has had a price slash, so that now it can be bought for one third the cost of comparable construction.

A new era in consumer electronics begins today when Carphone Warehouse and the owner of Currys and PC World join forces under a £3.9bn (€4.9m) merger.