Tesco set sights on Fermoy
The Avondhu has been informed this week that the old mart site in Fermoy has been purchased by Tesco, along with a portion of the car park there.
Following rumours that Fermoy might see the long awaited arrival of the retailer to the town, local Councillor Noel McCarthy confirmed to The Avondhu that the site has been purchased by the company.
Last week, workers were spotted on site, further fuelling speculation on developments there. The company, when asked to comment, informed The Avondhu that it has ‘an ongoing property roadmap which is regularly updated’, but stated it was ‘not prepared to confirm any new sites at this point’.
“I welcome the news that the site is sold and hopefully there will be development there soon,” Cllr McCarthy said. “It is in a prime location and should see more jobs and footfall in the town.”
Chairperson of Fermoy Forum, Michael Lyons said that development on the old mart site would be ‘hugely welcome’ and ‘great for the town’. He did note, however, that he would be eager to ‘see plans for the development beforehand’.
“We welcome any business coming to Fermoy, but we would like to see what the plans would be. In tandem with the development at Mill Island, I think it’s fantastic for Fermoy but I hope that the development would be suitable for the town and hope to see the details of this,” Mr Lyons said.
The site, originally owned by Cork Marts, was purchased by the Shipton Group in 2007 with the intention that the site would be developed for retail and commercial units.
In 2013, The Avondhu reported that Tesco were preparing to develop an outlet across the road from the old mart site in Fermoy following confirmation from the Shipton Group that they were ready to proceed with plans for a major development at the site.
It is understood that Tesco had sought to purchase the former Barry’s Yard site in order to develop a Fermoy outlet, however now, according to Cllr McCarthy, the old mart site along with a portion of the council rented car park, has been secured.
Following queries posed by The Avondhu, a Tesco spokesperson said, “Tesco Ireland has an ongoing property roadmap which is regularly updated, however, I cannot confirm any new sites at this point.”