Upscale specialist grocer Donnybrook Fair is to bring a taste of Dublin 4 to Dundrum Town Centre, with the opening of an extensive food hall, restaurant and bar.
It will be the sixth store for the Musgrave-owned brand, which currently runs four stores in Dublin – in Donnybrook, Stillorgan, Malahide and Baggot Street – and one in Greystones, Co Wicklow.
Due to launch in the coming months, Donnybrook Fair’s new outlet will be located in the recently renovated unit in Pembroke Square that was to have been occupied by Fallon & Byrne.
Pembroke Square site
The Irish grocer had been due to take over the space in April 2020 with a flagship food hall, delicatessen and restaurant. However, it pulled the plug on its Rathmines outlet in early 2020, and subsequently Dundrum, and is now understood to be concentrating on its outlets on Exchequer Street and in Dún Laoghaire.
The 900 square metre space on Pembroke Square will feature a food market on the ground floor, with a restaurant and bar space on Level 1, and will host several pop-up culinary experiences.
Hammerson, Dundrum Town Centre's asset manager and joint owner, would not comment on the rent terms of the deal.
Des O’Mahony, managing director of Donnybrook Fair, said the new “landmark” location will deliver “an entirely new level of food experience, both in terms of retail and dining”.
“This exciting new chapter provides us with a platform to expand and extend the range of premium produce and services that Donnybrook Fair is renowned for. We are committed to bringing quality Irish produce and unique culinary experiences to our customers and this new store will help us achieve that,” he said.
The expansion of the brand follows the acquisition of Donnybrook Fair by Musgrave, owner of SuperValu, back in 2018 in deal worth up to €25 million.
Don Nugent, centre director at Dundrum Town Centre, said the new store promises to offer "a unique and fantastic customer experience". "We can't wait for the big reveal later this year."
Boost for centre
The decision by Donnybrook Fair to expand into Dundrum is a welcome move for the centre which has been hit, as with other retail centres, by a double whammy of a move to online shopping and the pandemic. This has resulted in the departure of some outlets, such as Aldo and Cath Kidston, and delays in others.
The closure of House in Fraser last year has left a significant gap; one which will not now be partly filled by Brown Thomas until spring 2022, as its opening has been delayed from this autumn.
Other delays at the centre include the launch of an eight-lane bowling alley with dining from the Press Up group. Originally due to open in 2020, the project has been hit by Covid-related construction delays, and other projects in the group are taking priority for now.
