CORK: Done deals set to revitalise Cork's main shopping thoroughfare

Several big-brand retailers are poised to breathe new life into Cork’s St Patrick’s Street and help it shake off its tag as the street with the highest vacancy rate in Ireland.

Cork Business Association (CBA) chief executive Lawrence Owens said several deals have been done, and more are in the pipeline, for some of the street’s higher-profile vacant units, which were not reflected in a major survey the week before last.

The report by real estate firm CBRE showed the vacancy rate of prime ground floor retail space on Cork’s main shopping street rose to 19.5% in the first three months of the year.