Upscale retailer Donnybrook Fair is set to close its store in the Dundrum Town Centre this weekend, staff have been informed.
Management told staff at the location last Wednesday that the store’s final day of trading will be Saturday, January 24th.
Musgrave, the Cork-based owner of the Donnybrook Fair brand, said the “difficult decision” was made to close the 23-staff store following “an extensive review of the long-term viability of the store”.
“This outcome is no reflection on colleagues in Dundrum, whose commitment, professionalism and service have been exemplary,” the retailer said in a statement to The Irish Times.
“A number of employment opportunities across the broader Musgrave business are currently being explored with affected colleagues.”
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The store has a food market on the ground floor, featuring butcher, cheese, and juice counters along with wine and coffee areas. A restaurant, called Loft, is on the upper floor.
Musgrave said the Dundrum location “will continue to operate business as usual over the coming days” before closing on Saturday.
“While this store is closing, Donnybrook Fair continues to invest in its stores and food ranges available in SuperValu and Centra stores reflecting the continued demand from customers for premium, high-quality, fresh food,” the company continued.
The closure comes just over four years after the store opened, and sees the brand’s physical presence contract to just four locations.
When the Dundrum location opened in 2021, it was the sixth store for the brand, adding to outlets in Donnybrook, Stillorgan Village Shopping Centre, Malahide, Baggot Street and Greystones, Co Wicklow.
The Baggot Street location closed in November 2024, with staff impacted being offered positions at other Donnybrook Fair locations.
Musgrave, the owner of SuperValu and Centra, acquired the Donnybrook Fair chain in a deal worth up to €25 million in 2018 from husband and wife team, Joe and Mary Doyle, who founded and controlled Donnybrook Fair.
The Dundrum location was the first to be added after the acquisition. Prior to the opening in Dundrum, Donnybrook Fair told The Irish Times the new outlet would be “very different” to the brand’s existing stores, and a “real food adventure for people”.
The opening in the town centre was the result of a €4.5 million investment and came amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Musgrave – which also owns the Daybreak brand – saw turnover in 2024 reach €5.2 billion, a 4 per cent increase on the previous year. The Cork-headquartered supermarket and wholesale group’s accounts for 2024 show pretax profits rose 5 per cent to €134.5 million from €116 million.