Douglas Village reopens after more than a year

Douglas Village will today welcome customers and the community back through its doors for the first time since it was badly damaged by a fire in August of last year.

Douglas Village Shopping Centre, which is set to re-open its door today. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Douglas Village today welcomed customers and the community back through its doors for the first time since it was badly damaged by a fire in August of last year.

The re-opening will not be a full return to normal, however, given the ongoing level 5 Covid-19 restrictions, and the current closure of some ‘non-essential’ businesses.

Nonetheless, since the setting of the November 12 date, retailers and shop-owners have been hard at work preparing to get back back to work in a time of Covid-19.

Supermarket chains Tesco and Marks & Spencer will re-open as planned, as will other ‘essential’ businesses, such as the bank, Bresnan's Butchers, and Pharmacy First Plus.

Speaking last week, Michael O’Connor of Pharmacy First said he was itching to get back to work.

He said: “We just had to survive and the goal was to get us to this point,” he says.

But I would consider Douglas Village my business home so I’m delighted to be re-opening. 

A revamped Douglas Village Shopping Centre. Picture: Denis Minihane.

"The feedback I’m getting from customers is that they can’t wait for us to open up.”  

Store Manager at Tesco, Douglas, Dermot Hever said €1.5m had been invested in the refurbishment of his store in the last year, and that 30 new jobs had been created there.

Mr Hever said he was nothing less than “thrilled” to be able to re-open today.

He said: "Reopening under Level 5 restrictions is certainly a very different event than we might have planned, I’m delighted to say we're able to deliver a safe and easy experience for our returning customers.

"Staff have been working hard behind closed doors for weeks preparing to welcome returning customers in line with Covid-19 safety protocols.  

We’re also very thankful to our customers for their patience and support as we all work to respond to Covid-19, all the time reviewing operations to introduce measures to protect health and safety in line with public health advice. 

"Customers can now return to shopping locally in the store in Douglas, knowing that their safety and that of our colleagues, is our number one priority,” he added. 

One of the main arcades at the Douglas Village Shopping Centre. Picture: Dan Linehan

Level 5 lockdown restrictions mean that stores such as Tk Maxx, Book Station, Trespass, Homefront, CiCi & Boo, travel agents J Barter will not be among the 13 outlets set to re-open.

They are all planning to re-open in due course, however, and so too are a few new businesses. 

Cork City Council has also said they are aiming to re-open the library in Douglas by the third week of December. 

Customers of the shopping centre, which has been in operation for more than a century, can look forward to a new shopping experience in a revamped Douglas Village. 

If Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed or lifted in early December as expected, the Douglas community can look forward to some more early christmas treats.