“Christmas for Everyone”. Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court - Celebration Weekend

press release

“Making Christmas for Everyone”

Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court - Celebration Weekend

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November

The Food Hall. Opening Day 2018.

Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court has a lot to celebrate.  Just one year on from the successful unveiling of the new state-of-the-art store, the store has rightfully become a major destination shopping experience in the South West of Ireland.   Lovers of great food and fashion have been flocking to Bishopstown, Cork to experience this exciting and innovative shopping experience which was created in collaboration with some of the leading Irish names in food, fashion, and homeware - all under one roof, and all delivering on the Dunnes Stores award winning promise of better value. 

What makes the store so special is the exclusive fashion and home collections from household names such as Paul Costelloe, Francis Brennan, Lennon Courtney, Carolyn Donnelly, Paul Galvin, Helen James, Helen Steele, Joanne Hynes, Leigh Tucker’s wonderful Children’s Collection Willow and Michael Mortell, all under one roof, together with Dunnes Stores Savida and Gallery brands as well as the full collection from Dunnes Stores other fashion and homeware ranges.  A big magnet for shoppers to Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court is the world class Food Hall, home to artisan food producers such as Sheridans Cheesemongers, James Whelan Butchers and Cork’s own iconic, K O’Connell Fish Merchants and the Alternative Bread Company; as well as Irish health food store, Nourish. The Food Hall also boasts the full range of the multi-award winning Simply Better Collection. And arriving just in time for the weekend will be Ireland’s favourite chef Neven Maguire’s new Cookware Collection, which is exclusive to Dunnes Stores.

To celebrate this successful milestone, and especially timed as a preview to the Christmas season, the team at Bishopstown Court are organising a very special festive weekend on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th of November.

James Whelan's Aged Steak is very popular here!

Joe Duke, Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court Grocery Manager stated “It’s been a very special year for us and also for Dunnes Stores as a whole. We are officially Ireland’s number one Food Retailer, have been awarded  Irish Retailer of the year, brought home numerous national and international awards in 2019 and this year also marks the 75th anniversary of the business, which opened its first store in Patrick’s Street in Cork in 1944.  Every single member of the team in Cork are so proud of this strong Cork heritage, and many of us still remember some of our founding colleagues very fondly, including Bishopstown native, Dan Barratt, who worked with Dunnes Stores in Cork for over 70 years and who worked alongside Ben Dunne Senior in setting up the business.  These people had a great vision and would be so proud to see how far we have come and the beautiful store that we have today in Bishopstown Court - a store that has literally been the talk of the town for the past year, and is bringing people to Cork to shop from as far as Kerry, Tipperary and Limerick.”

Joe added, “As well as a shopping destination, it has become a very popular meeting point - just off the Link Road, and so easy to access from any side of the city, with lots of free parking, free wifi and a choice of three cafes including Baxter & Greene Market Deli, Timepiece Restaurant, and Cafe Sol.  We are finding that people are staying longer, catching up with friends, and at the same time getting everything they need for their families all under one roof.”

John Porter, who is the Manager of Fashion and Home at Bishopstown Court added “After the phenomenal success of last year’s Unveiling Weekend, we wanted to celebrate again with our customers.  Our customers and our dedicated staff are a big part of the reason our new look store has been such a phenomenal success.  This weekend is our way of saying thank you to our loyal customers and our hard working teams, who are as proud of our fabulous store as we are.”

The celebrations this year will include very special fashion shows on Saturday 16th November, with one of the leading lights in fashion in Ireland, Celia Holman Lee, showcasing all of our designer collections and main ranges.  Flying in especially for the event will be one of Ireland’s top designers Paul Costello and also designer Joanne Hynes will be meeting her many Cork fans on the day.  There will also be a wide range of activities in the new state-of-the-art Food Hall, where some of Ireland’s leading food producers will be on hand to meet customers, and to invite them to sample some of their signature and award winning products.

Sunday will be all about family and home which will be hosted by two of Ireland’s most loved and respected designers and personalities, Brendan Courtney and Sonya Lennon. As well as showcasing their own Lennon Courtney collection, which is exclusive to Dunnes Stores, there will be the exclusive collections from all the designer and main range brands. One of Ireland’s top make up artists, Derrick Carberry will also be in store to meet customers and to provide Styling Sessions for some lucky competition winners.

 Taking to the stage will be Aileen Cox Blundell of Baby Led Feeding fame, with mini workshops on how mums and dads can prepare food for the whole family including baby.  Aileen will also be chatting to designer Leigh Tucker on how she juggles everything from her busy family life with her successful career. Leigh will also be showcasing her children’s fashion collection; while Cork native Michael Mortell, will be showcasing his latest collection for the home, and chatting on stage about how he prepares his home for Christmas.

Joe, John and their teams are also organising lots of kid friendly activities and there are plans for a very special guest, Santa Claus, and some of his elves, to call in to Dunnes Stores Bishopstown Court over the weekend, to celebrate with everyone.  Added to this, there will be plenty of surprise giveaways, which are yet another way of saying thank you to everyone for such a successful year.

More details on the schedule of activities and events over the weekend will be announced over the coming weeks and these will be available through Facebook and Instagram in the run up to the festive weekend.