Heat expansion from new restaurant by Midleton’s Iceland

Hot spicy food - by way of a fourth Ramen Asian street food restaurant - is set to ok up next to an Iceland store, in East Cork’s Midleton Distillery Lane’s €30m development.

Growing with remarkable rapidity, the year-old food company Ramen is taking over the former c 1,300 sq ft Café Moccha in the Main Street scheme, where Iceland opened in December of 2014, taking c 8,000 sq ft for its sixth Irish store.

Iceland aims to expand to 50-60 Irish outlets in this, its second, expansion drive here and says it will create 1,000 jobs. Iceland reports ‘record’ business in Midleton, and, with Ramen, the duo will now drive footfall to the shops’ scheme on the old Tesco site.

Cork-founded Ramen, doing fresh Asian street food in Anglesea Street was opened December 2013 by partners David Dwyer and John Downey, joined in 2014 by locations at Dennehys Cross and Ballincollig Town Centre.

A similar, rival Asian food concept expansion is planned, meanwhile, by O’Brien’s Sandwich bar’s founder Brodie Sweeney and his Camille Thai Kitchen, founded in 2010. Sweeney plans at least 25 outlets nationwide, reportedly at a €250,000 cost for franchisees.

The Midleton deal with Ramen was done by Lia Dennehy of Savills, who quotes rents of €20 psf for available ground floor units, from 95-232 sq m and who notes there is multi-level parking for 330 cars.

Other occupants include Irwin’s Electrical, Supermaxx Supermarket, Four Star Pizza, Orchard Child Care, Little Piggy’s Shoe Shop and Sun Studio.

Details: Savills 021-4271371