We pioneered supermarketing

My attachment to unloved, broken-down places drew me to O'Connors Shopping Centre on my visits through Nenagh. I began by photographing the handpainted signs on the walls beside Lidl's car park. Over the years, I explored the shopping centre photographing shopfronts. The quirky signage and strange graffitied messages. It's all gone now, flattened, and I'm glad I caught it before it disappeared.

There seemed to be a love-hate relationship for the shopping centre in the town. You can read some reactions to the news of its closure from Boards.ie below in 2011.

O'Connor's Nenagh Shopping Centre

Time in business: 36 Years
Closed down: May 2011
Demolished: 2018

Reaction to the closure on boards.ie

26-05-2011, 11:29

O'Conners Nenagh closed

Just heard on the radio that this has closed, presume its the supermarket, staff just told this morning, long established buisness.

26-05-2011, 12:00

Just back from there now. Its very sad for all concerned.

Its just the supermarket in the shopping centre.

Its important to stress that all the other business are open, the florist the chemist etc and the o connors shop on the main street in town is also still open.

26-05-2011, 14:02

Got my first job there, like a lot of people from around here I'm sure.

Even working there about 5 years ago, even then it was apparent they were struggling to compete with Dunnes and Tesco, the customer base was mostly older people and I think they were trying to carve out a niche with the foreign market.

Felt like it was a matter of when not if they'd shut down, sad to see and the end of an era.

Are there any plans for something else to move onto that site?

26-05-2011, 14:27

Agree about the mainly older customer base. It was pretty run down and struggled to put out a decent selection of products. I reckon that a well run Supervalu might do well in that location.

Probably too early to say whats going to happen. Hope people support the other store and other local stores so that the town isn't left with just the big forieign multinational stores doing most of the trade.

26-05-2011, 14:33

Good riddance

Yeah I have a grudge after one of the sons accused me of shoplifting and searched my bag in front of everyone.

Never went in there again.

The store was run down and not well kept even back then.

And Joe O'Connors dire predictions of the bypass making Nenagh a ghost town when he was a councillor and being named and shamed as a tax dodger by Revenue didn't help business

I feel sorry for the staff and suppliers, definitely not the O'Connors.

Yep, Supervalu might be a good option here. It's still more central then Dunnes or Tesco, it's a good site.

And they need someone to take the clothes section, Pennys maybe?

26-05-2011, 15:14

In truth the actual building could do with being knocked down and rebuilt, its a real Frankenstein job of old and new interiors with a warehouse like appearance from outside.

Its a really odd built place in this day an age if you've ever seen the staff areas in particular.

26-05-2011, 16:53

It is very sad for all concerned, especially their suppliers LIKE ME!!

They lied to me for the past 2 months and refused to pay their outstanding invoices. I was lied to and lied to. Where is my money?

Oh well, to the creditors meeting with me to join a, highly probable. long long queue of suppliers are being screwed.

I hear he was shaking customers hands this morning informing them. Is he still there? Should I go up and put my hand out???

Sad for the staff, angry about the lies.

26-05-2011, 18:43

Does smoky joe own that whole site there and renting out units or does he just own the supermarket,Id that site would have been valuable back a few years ago, agree about the 70s structure, it would be tough get it past insurance guide lines.

26-05-2011, 20:28

Owns the whole site according to RTE.

Never would have thought that they had 70 people working there.

27-05-2011, 04:52

I know it probably isn’t quite the same market but another family run retailer (JC's in swords) does really well when up against the likes of superquinn and dunnes right on its doorstep. Maybe they could have taken a few ideas/inspiration from there.

27-05-2011, 09:41

Isnt that the store that Fergal Quinn went in to revamp on his trouble shooting series on RTE, i think the father in that died fairly recently.To be honest i dont know how these stores can keep going even the ones likes of supervalu in Tipp Town with tescos, dunnes, lidl and another supevalu against it, i know they have a big franchise behind them but i would find a big rise in my shopping bill if i done my complete shopping in them.

27-05-2011, 09:44

What's going on with Nenagh?

O'Connors on a massive site closing down.

The area across the road is pretty much wastleland though Sheehans use it for storage.

And all the new building and supermarkets are going outside the town while the town centre has closures

But then some say Limerick is doing the same

27-05-2011, 13:28

people's shopping habits are changing, more and more are going to business parks instead of going into town centres

30-05-2011, 15:34

i think they have got an older demogrphic though which is going to dieing of the whole time, cant see them chasing of their rivals.