Another indication of Ireland's economic success comes today with the announcement that the celebrated London wine specialists, Berry Bros & Rudd, are to open a large store off Grafton Street in Dublin.
The 300-year-old family firm is the latest in a string of UK traders moving into Ireland because of the buoyant retail market here. Berry will begin trading early in September from the former weights and measures building at Harry Street, directly opposite the Westbury Hotel.
Part of the landmark building is to be set aside for an ever changing display of the city's original weights and measures - some of them gold plated, others engraved brass or polished mirror surfaced bronze - which are acknowledged as among the finest artefacts of their kind in the world. The earliest date from 1824. Berry Bros will provide their own guarantee of honest measure when they pitch for a share of the top end of Ireland's runaway wine trade. Wine consumption here has more than doubled to three million cases between 1990 and 1997 and, according to some retailers, sales have been growing even faster since then.
Although Berry has wine stocks going back to the early part of the century and operate a busy brokering division to locate rare clarets and armagnac for special occasions, it still expects that 90 per cent of its sales in Dublin will range between £5 and £25 per bottle. The company's own house claret will retail at around £6.50 a bottle. However, it plans to compete with a handful of other fine wine merchants in Dublin for the upper end of the market, where buyers will have the choice of a Mouton-Rothschild '82 at £1,500, a Petrus '82 at £3,000 or even a Mouton '45 at £5,000.
Unlike other successful UK retailers, Berry has been in no hurry to open up new branches. The company has been trading out of its famous store in St James's Street, opposite St James's Palace, in London since 1698, and in that time has opened up only two new shops - one alongside its warehouse in Hampshire and the other a duty-free outlet at Heathrow Airport. It prides itself on being the only significant family business still operating in London after more than three centuries. Berry also owns Scots whisky brand, Cutty Sark.
The company's new Dublin premises were sold last year to a private investor for over £1 million by Dublin Corporation. Paul McDowell of Ganly Walters negotiated the letting to Berry at a rent which is likely to be over £100,000 per annum. Berry's Development director, Ciaran Coakley, promises that the new premises will be more a "wine experience than a mere shop". The refurbished and extended building will include a temperature-controlled cellar in the basement capable of holding a stock of more than 1,300 different wines. The 1,000 sq ft of space at street level will have a selection of fine cigars, teas, coffee and cheese as well as wine, armagnacs and vintage port. Specially built display cases will be installed to hold the weights and measures which are being loaned by the city council. The top floor of the redbrick building will be used mainly for wine tasting sessions, lectures and videos on wine making.
Dublin wine expert Peter Foley, who will manage the Dublin operation, expects that wine connoisseurs will use the premises to browse through the extensive stocks. The company will operate a home delivery service for its customers. Even before moving into Dublin, Berry's already have over 200 Irish customers who have been ordering wine for special occasions through their London shop. This number is expected to grow rapidly in the coming year.
