Cork's Opera Lane fully occupied for first time since 2019 with new Mountain Warehouse lease
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Cork city centre’s prime retail street, Opera Lane, is set to be fully occupied for the first time in five years as a deal has just been inked for a large unit to be taken over by outdoor clothing specialists Mountain Warehouse.
In advance of any opening in Cork of the giant sports company Decathlon which has been scoping Munster sites, the more niche UK-based specialist retailer Mountain Warehouse is taking over the four-level Unit 14 at Opera Lane, vacated by TopShop over four years ago at the start of Covid, and will retail out of 15,000 sq ft of the substantial 20,000 sq ft store.
Mountain Warehouse is a UK/international retailer selling equipment for hiking, camping, skiing, cycling, running and fitness, mostly under its own brands.
Now with over 330 stores in the UK, Europe, the US and New Zealand, it currently has Irish stores in Killarney, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Galway and two in Dublin.
Letting agent Lia Dennehy of Savills said the deal which was signed this week for Opera Lane with Mountain Warehouse means the O’Callaghan Properties-developed Opera Lane off St Patrick’s Street “is now fully let, for the first time since 2019".
The deal comes shortly after confirmation that Victoria’s Secret has taken over Unit 1, vacated by Gap, and the adjacent Unit 2 (vacated by Only) is let to Bath and Body and Bathworks. Those new tenants are due to open in November/December in time for the Christmas trade, while Mountain Warehouse will open early in the New Year.
It is understood that interest had also been show in in Opera Lane’s former Top Shop unit by the likes of SuperDrug, as well as medical/cosmetic clinical users, as well as from various Inditex fashion brands such as Bershka and Pull&Bear.
Savills Ms Dennehy said new secured tenants Mountain Warehouse propose a new, larger concept store for Cork/Opera Lane than they currently have elsewhere in Ireland, and the fact the ex-Top Shop store was already substantially fitted-out fitted was a key decider for them to secure the unit.
The active outdoors pursuits wear company Mountain Warehouse has taken the city centre space on Opera Lane on a ten-year lease, at a rent of c €400,000 per annum.
Also very recently signed by Savills on St Patrick Street is the former Game Stop unit at the corner with Princes Street, just let to jewellery chain Lovisa, while also understood to in the wings is a letting to Cornwall-based fashion retailer SeaSalt, in a unit vacated by French Connection.
Meanwhile, it is understood that work is slowly advancing on the former Debenhams store, acquired by Elverys Intersport, while Decathlon have eyed several prospective Cork sites in retail park type locations during 2024.
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