New retailer on Cork's Opera Lane means the street is fully occupied for first time since covid

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 Yea.