The Top 5 Department Stores To Visit In Dublin

Dublin’s varied department stores offer a pleasant mix of high fashion and discount essentials, with all kinds of everyday wearables in between. From the considered haute couture at Grafton Street’s Brown Thomas to the quick-response trend-satisfying items at Penneys, here’s what to expect from Dublin’s best department stores.

1. Arnotts

Store

This Henry Street landmark deserves a visit solely for its history – it’s the city’s oldest and largest department store, founded in 1843. After being taken over by the Scottish–Irish entrepreneur John Arnott in 1865 it was renamed in his honour. But Arnotts has a lot more to offer than just a good backstory. Rebuilt after a fire in 1894, the current building has a square footage of around 300,000, incorporating designer fashion, beauty, homewares and furniture, and almost anything else a Dublin shopper could ever wish for. For AW16 they’re launching an exciting collaboration with fashion designer Peter O’Brien, the former creative director at Rochas who previously worked atChristian Dior,Givenchy and Chloé.

2. Dunnes Stores

Store

Established by County Down-born entrepreneur Ben Dunne in the 1940s, Dunnes Stores now has stores across Ireland, the UK and Spain, specialising in fashion, homeware and groceries. As well as having their own well-loved womenswear label – Savida – this family-run chain runs regular upmarket collaborations with leading Irish designers like Paul Costelloe, Carolyn Donnelly and Lennon Courtney. This year, they contracted a well-known Italian retail store design company called Schweitzer – who have worked with Armani and Benetton in the past – to give their Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre store a dramatic layout revamp, in order to better showcase these collaborations.

3. Brown Thomas

Store

Dublin’s answer to Selfridges, Brown Thomas on Grafton Street is run by the same people as the famed high-end London department store. With sister stores in Cork, Galway and Limerick, the Dublin flagship houses four levels of luxury clothing, cosmetics and living items, with boutiques for Céline, Gucci, Chanel, Bobbi Brown, MAC and many others. In menswear, their featured brands include Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. They also run BT2, a chain aimed at a slightly younger demographic.

Debenhams

In 2007, British retailer Debenhams took over the prime retail spaces formerly operated by the national Roches Stores chain, which ceased trading that year after over 100 years in business. Today, Debenhams Ireland operates four stores in Dublin and two in Cork, as well as outlets in Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Also strong in beauty, gifts, and interior items, the Debenhams fashion department runs an impressive Designers at Debenhams portfolio, working with big names like Henry Holland, Julien Macdonald and Ireland’s own John Rocha. Though the store briefly entered examinership earlier this year, a plan has since been formulated to save it, much to shoppers relief.
Debenhams, Ilac Shopping Centre, Debenhams, 54 – 62 Henry Street, Dublin 1, Ireland, +44 1890 946 779
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