Grafton Street to Regain Some Sparkle

The former home of West jewellers on Dublin’s Grafton Street is set to continue its connection with the gem trade having been acquired for a reported €5 million. The property at 33 Grafton Street was purchased recently by John Brereton Jewellers, which has traded in Dublin since its establishment on Capel Street in 1916. West jewellers closed last February after 290 years trading in the city.

Estate agent Jones Lang LaSalle, which was quoting an annual rent of €300,000, held discussions about the property with a number of prospective tenants last year. However, the former owner Joe Moran of Manor Park Homes pulled the property off the market in October.

The new owners said they expected the store would open at the end of this year, following significant refurbishment, under the John Brereton Jewellers name. Paul Brereton, one of the fourth generation of the Brereton family, said he was delighted to be presented with an opportunity to set up shop on Grafton Street. He said the new store would be spread over three levels and that he expected it to employ 10 staff.

West jewellers had been trading out of the four-storey end of terrace unit since 1965. It claimed to be the oldest jewellers in Europe. Over the last two years a number of high-profile overseas jewellers – such as Boodles, and the Tiffany and Cartier concession stands in Brown Thomas – have opened on the street, adding to pressures faced by traditional jewellers.

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