Latest news with #Fairgreen
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Man dies in shooting at shopping centre in Co Carlow, Ireland
A man has died following a shooting at a shopping centre in Co Carlow. The PA news agency understands that it appears that the dead man's wounds were self-inflicted. A young girl was also injured in the incident but did not require hospital care and it is unclear how she was injured. Gardai have identified the dead man as a white Irish male. Ireland's justice minister, Jim O'Callaghan, has described it as a 'really shocking incident'. One local councillor told how people ran terrified from the shopping centre in Carlow town as shots were fired. The body of the man remains at the scene and will not be removed until the area has been declared safe. The shopping centre was evacuated and emergency services remain at the scene, but gardai said there is no further concern for public safety. A Garda spokesperson said they were alerted to reports of a firearm discharge at Fairgreen shopping centre shortly after 6.15pm. The spokesperson said: 'An Garda Síochaná are currently at the scene, with the shopping centre and car park cordoned off. The cordon will remain in place overnight. A white Irish adult male is deceased at the scene. 'The army explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team has been requested to attend.' Ireland's deputy leader, Simon Harris, said he was 'deeply concerned', adding: 'I understand a young child has been hurt and I join with people across our country in thinking of them and their family tonight. 'I am also thinking of all those who witnessed this situation and the awful shock and upset it must have caused them. I know their families and communities will rally to support them. I am grateful to our emergency services for their work and response.' O'Callaghan said: 'This was a really shocking incident. My thoughts are with everyone affected by the shooting and the community and families impacted, including those working at the scene. He added: 'This is something we never want or expect to happen in our communities. Gun violence is very rare in Ireland, and I am determined that will remain the case. The area in Carlow is safe. 'We must now allow An Garda Síochána to investigate this incident fully.' Local Fine Gael councillor Fergal Browne said: 'People were obviously terrified, a bank holiday Sunday, going into town to do their shopping. People ran from the centre crying and upset. 'There was a bunch of foreign students in the area, who could not believe they were caught up in the middle of all of it. 'It's a busy spot. We launched a photographic exhibition there on Friday night in the shopping centre.' Browne added: 'There is lots of activity in the centre between people shopping and people working there, exhibitions. It's very upsetting for everyone who was involved in it or who witnessed it. I was down there in the last hour and it seems to have calmed down a good bit now.' Browne said he wanted to thank all the emergency services that had attended the scene.
BreakingNews.ie
01-06-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Gardaí at scene of shooting in Co Carlow
Gardaí in Carlow have cordoned off a supermarket in Carlow town following reports of a shooting. It is understood a nine-year-old girl has been shot in the leg and the shooter has an explosive attached to his leg at the Tesco supermarket in Fairgreen shopping centre Carlow town at around 6.15pm. Advertisement The situation is still unfolding. The Emergency Response Unit is also on scene. In a statement gardaí said: 'Gardaí are currently at the scene of an incident at a retail premises in Carlow town. The alarm was raised shortly after 6:15pm. The premises has been evacuated and the scene is preserved. The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team has been requested to attend. At this time, there is no further concern for public safety. The statement added: 'Anyone who may have recorded footage of the incident is urged not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead to provide it to Gardaí at Carlow Garda Station. 'Anyone with information is asked to contact Carlow Garda Station at 059-9136620 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111. 'No additional information is available at this time.' Further updates will follow.
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (20s) arrested after attempted armed robbery in Co Laois
A man has been arrested after an attempted armed robbery of a commercial premises in Portlaoise, Co Laois. Shortly before noon, gardaí responded to a report of an individual who entered a business in the Fairgreen estate brandishing a knife, threatening staff and demanding money from the till. Advertisement The man in his 20s was arrested at the scene and held in a Garda station in Co Laois. He has since been charged and is expected to appear before a sitting of Portlaoise District Court on Monday. Gardaí say investigations are ongoing.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Big retail chain with 160 stores abruptly shuts shop for good in blow to high street
A MAJOR retail chain with 160 stores has suddenly closed a high street shop for good in a major blow for a town centre. The Vero Moda store in Fairgreen shopping centre in Carlow, Ireland, closed suddenly last weekend, according to reports from locals. 1 Writing on social media customers said there had been no warning ahead of the closure. One said: "Gutted all the good shops are closing!!" Another added: "In 10 years there will hardly be a shop to go into." A third said: "That was a good shop." Another added: "loved that shop!" While a fifth said: "Very sad to see so many closing! There soon won't be any shops left." In the last year the town has also lost a branch of New Look, as well as a 100-year-old drapery shop and a Claire's Accessories store. The Sun has contacted Vero Moda and asked why the store was shuttered. European fashion label Vero Moda was founded in 1987 and has 16 stores in Ireland as well as many more across Europe. The brand doesn't have any standalone stores in the UK but its owner, Danish fashion business Heartland, purchased a majority stake in Topshop from Asos in a £135m deal last year. Why are shops closing stores? It is thought the business, which also owns Jack & Jones, could now bring Topshop and Topman back to the high street. Industry rumours have suggested they have already started scoping out potential sites for Topshop's revival, including London's famous Carnaby Street. OTHER STORE CLOSURES It's common practice for larger-scale retailers to open and close branches based on customer demand and sales. But bigger chains still shut thousands of stores between them in 2024, with more set to close in 2025. The Centre for Retail Research found 2,138 shops were shut by larger chains last year. Meanwhile, 11,341 independent stores were shut across the year. The centre predicts 17,350 shops in total will close in 2025, linking the rise to hikes in employer National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage. Some retailers have warned products will rise in price to offset the added costs too, including M&S and Greggs. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
