40 units of customer-centered service in the heart of Douglas

Spanning almost three decades, Douglas Court Shopping Centre has provided an invaluable service to the people of Cork since it was established in 1990.

With more than 40 units spread throughout the centre, and an overall floor space of 13.55 acres, Douglas Court is one of the county’s premier shopping centres, housing leading names like Kilkenny Shop, Icon, Gerard, Boots, Sam McCauleys, Cummins Sports, New Look, and of course its flagship tenant Dunnes Stores.

Other well-known businesses include Hassetts Bakery, Dealz, Sky, Impress, The Cobbler Leather Shop, Vision Express, Peter Mark, Moores Jewellers, Easons, Gamestop, Vero Moda and Quiz.

The centre’s management has worked hard over the years to attract and retain a varied mix of shops, and in doing so, have ensured that a wide cross section of the local community is catered to.

Most tenants make a long-term commitment to staying at Douglas Court Shopping Centre with a waiting list of prospective stores chomping on the bit to bring their business to the centre.

Keith Kenny is the Manager of Douglas Court and believes that the centre really transformed Douglas into a shopping destination for the people of Cork.

Keith says: “The business was opened in 1990 by the Love family. It has been a great employer over the years with Dunnes Stores as our anchor tenant. Lots of jobs were created here over the past 30 years.

“I’m passionate about Douglas Court because of its environment and the unique shopping experience it creates. We are very much focused on the customers and on making their shopping trip an easy and enjoyable process.

“Our unique selling point is our variety of stores, our friendly atmosphere, and our free parking, which is extremely easy to access from the surrounding roadways. We also have a ‘trolley minding service’ which is very unique to shopping centres," he says.

On the rich history of the shopping centre, Keith says: “Our business is iconic because everyone has memories of shopping in Douglas Court and it continues to give people a great shopping experience."

Douglas Court serves a very large customer base, the bulk of whom are from the Douglas, Rochestown, Carrigaline and Passage areas, but also attracts shoppers from Ballincollig, Cobh, Midleton, Youghal, Fermoy and even from as far as Mitchelstown.

Keith explains: “We do our best for our customers because it’s such an important part of our business. We genuinely care for them. We are very much a local shopping centre and we would know the names of lots of our customers and the staff here play a very important role in making the customer feel welcome. Betty Burke who runs the Information Desk is always there to answer customer queries.

“Many of our staff have worked here for years including Security Officer Bob Creber who has worked her since the centre opened. The staff play a huge role in the success of Douglas Court. Most of the staff have worked here for years and we all focus on the customers’ needs and help them whenever possible.

“From the simplest of inquiries to the more serious issues such as lost children, the staff are fantastic in dealing with all kinds of situations.”

Keith says that the centre’s current focus is on its continued development and its ability to attract new tenants going forward.

“Retail has undergone tremendous changes over the past ten years and we plan to develop the centre with a variety of new tenants coming to Douglas Court in the next few years.

“In five years’ time we would hope to have developed the centre with new tenants while continuing to focus on our customers’ positive shopping experience,” Keith says.

Douglas Court is situated at the heart of Douglas Village and is only a few minutes’ walk from Douglas Cinema and a number of popular pubs and restaurants.

Douglas Court Shopping Centre is manged by HWBC and can be contacted through its website, douglascourt.ie, as well as its Facebook and Instagram pages.

The centre opens from 9am-6pm Monday to Wednesday, 8.30am-9pm on Thursday and Friday, 8.30am-6pm on Saturday, and 12-6pm on Sunday.

Dunnes Stores is open from 9am-9pm Monday to Wednesday, 8.30am to 9pm on Thursday and Friday, 8.30am-8pm on Saturday and 9am-8pm on Sunday.