austins ( department store )
austins department store, newton abbot: hours, address, austins department store reviews: 4. 5 / 5
austins was founded in 1830 and was the world' s oldest independent department store .
austins department store which opened in derry almost two centuries ago has closed with the loss of 53 jobs .
shutters down on the austins department store in derry which went into liquidation on tuesday morning. picture by margaret mclaughlin
recently visited austins department store and was unimpressed with the attitude and unwelcoming response from the staff. i think austins has lost its way a little .
fifty - three staff lost their jobs at austins department store in londonderry, which has been open for almost two centuries .
austins of the diamond ireland’s oldest department store has closed its doors this morning with 53 staff being told they have lost their jobs .
sdlp party leader and mla colum eastwood said: “austins is the world’s oldest independent department store and an iconic city centre landmark in derry .
a light projection entitled voyage on austins department store in derry as part of the lumiere festival in 2013. picture by niall carson, press association
the londonderry department store austins, one of the oldest in europe, has closed its doors to the public after the company went into liquidation .
great little department store set across a number of locations in central newton abbot. in ...
this is an excellent department store. so often i have trailed round exeter looking for a special ...
one of europe' s oldest department stores, austins, in the centre of londonderry, has gone into liquidation .
the austins department store building in the diamond is currently owned by the city hotel group, but the actual retail operation was leased to hassonzender, which has now gone into liquidation .
austins is really the only big department store in newton abbot. a beautiful old architectural building with lots of attached town history. it is right in the centre and is typical of old department stores everywhere. lots of different departments and worth a stroll around .
he department store, which opened in derry in 1830, had been one of the oldest operating in europe until it closed .
mr cooper said: “i am sorry to hear the news today that austin’s department store is to close given the history of the shop .
austin’s closed its doors in march 2016 after the company operating the department store went into administration, with the loss of over 50 jobs .
“traditional department stores have had difficulty in surviving. this is not unique to austins or to derry. department stores have been closing right across great britain and ireland. it is a sector that has struggled to survive modern retailing trends .
great little department store set across a number of locations in central newton abbot. in general, na is very poor for shopping (as is torquay - go to exeter, totnes or plymouth instead), but austins does have some good quality brands in store - white ...
a department store that survived the great irish famine, two world wars, the partition of the island and the ulster troubles has finally closed after 186 years of trading .
sinn féin councillor mickey cooper has said that he is both shocked and saddened to hear that austin department store in derry is to close and added that the staff must get their full entitlements .
nice café with friendly staff in the ladies section of this department store, there is a separate housewares and gentleman' s sections, with a wide choice of product at very good prices .
austins men' s wear department made my shopping experience with my partner and his son and his dad a real treat! i simply sat whilst they browsed themselves. found the exact items they were looking for. great store right in the middle of our town. a ...
the only store in town with different shops for furniture as well as the main store. lots of concessions. good value cafe - we really enjoyed the cream teas !
the letter said all involved in austins had “done their very best” to save the landmark derry store - which requires major investment to the internal structure of the building to no avail .
the journal has seen documents from mccambridge duffy insolvency practitioners pertaining to the liquidation of the company which ran the austins store and the issues that led to its closure in march with the loss of 53 jobs .
the store, in derry’s diamond, did not open for business this morning and shutters remain down .
hassonzender was incorporated on september 19, 2014, and began trading from austins several weeks later on november 5th .
londonderry chamber of commerce chief executive sinead mclaughlin added: “it is terribly sad news that austins has closed its doors. we will all wish that action can be taken to save a business that is an icon for derry. we wish everyone involved in the store well and we know how committed austins’ staff are to the business .
“the failure of the executive to properly invest in the west has left a legacy of economic stagnation and the impact of this has been felt by the staff of austins today. the closure of austins is sorely symbolic of this failure. ”
a projection, voyage, on austins in derry as part of the 2013 lumiere festival. photograph: niall carson / pa
, this shop has really thought about what they stock, all ages, trends and fun. something for everyone, baby gifts to a whole department
austins was established in 1830, predating harrods of london by 15 years and macy' s of new york by 25 years .
this is an excellent department store. so often i have trailed round exeter looking for a special outfit only to be disappointed but then i fall back on austin' s in my home town and wondered why i bothered looking anywhere else. traditional service but modernised ...
austins predated harrods of london by 15 years and macy' s of new york by 25 years. it sold fashion and gifts .
ped us with every detail. great customer service and an asset to your store. thank you for today. would definitely
did you know we have a large selection of kipling handbags available? located on the ground floor of the fashion store .
the documents show that sales within the department store had actually risen by almost 7% in the months prior to its closure, but that the unforeseen costs of dealing with asbestos, and the disruption to trading this would have entailed, proved to be a stumbling block to attracting investment .
“a struggling economy will always result in a struggling retail sector. derry’s economy is struggling and the sudden closure of austins is testament to that .
i have been informed that austins in londonderry has closed its doors today after a meeting with staff this morning. a blow to the city .
it' s no secret that retailers of many guises have had difficulties down through the years and austins was not immune in experiencing that .
a struggling economy will always result in a struggling retail sector. derry' s economy is struggling and the sudden closure of austins is testament to that .
the surprise move had not been announced to the store' s 53 staff who were told in a meeting on tuesday that they had lost their jobs .
“austin’s is the oldest independent departmental store in the world and has graced the diamond in derry since 1830 so it is sad that its doors have closed today .
she said workers weretold the news on tuesday morning and it had come as a shock. the store had been in receivership but had been trying to remodel itself .
d having to call for help each time while the staff were tidying shelves. she left feeling upset and wondering if she' d done something wrong! not good this time austins .
austins has been at the heart of this city, the historic centre, and is a landmark building. there is a vacuum that we need to consider how to fill .
the failure of the executive to properly invest in the west has left a legacy of economic stagnation and the impact of this has been felt by the staff of austins today .
she said workers were just told the news this morning and it had come as a shock. the store had been in receivership but had been trying to remodel itself .
staff were handed letters from the stores owners describing today as a “very sad day” and saying the recovering had not been strong enough to keep the store trading in “difficult times” .
dup mla gary middleton told the ‘journal’ that staff had been called to a meeting this morning to be told the store would cease trading with immediate effect and that their p45s were being prepared .
“initial estimates suggested at least £150, 000 to £200, 000 would have been required in year one, primarily to restock the store, ” the report states. in the spring of 2015, meetings were taking place with a firm specialising in matching company buyers and sellers and meetings with other store operators across the north who might be interested in “investment or straight acquisition. ” .
austins in derry’s diamond shopping district has gone into liquidation with the loss of 53 jobs. the shop in the city centre was opened by thomas austin in 1830 and is thought to have been one of the oldest in the world, launching before harrods in london and macy’s in new york .
we were in this store shopping and decided to have a snack. the scones looked very appetizing. although tasty they were unfortunately very crumbly, so as soon as you tried to put any butter on them they just broke up; such a shame. tea and ...
“austins is a landmark building in our city and to see its doors close marks a very sad day for us all. our thoughts most first and foremost be with the people who were told this morning they are out of work and we must do all we can to support them in the coming days. ”
“i think it is now incumbent upon all the city stakeholders to look at the viability of our city centre. traditional retailing is being challenged between out - of - town centres, the euro and online trading, ” she said. “austins has been at the heart of this city, the historic centre, and is a landmark building. there is a vacuum that we need to consider how to fill. ”
in november 2014 the business was sold to the city hotel group but trading side of the store was bought by hassonzender ltd. a statement from the city hotel group said on tuesday: “we would point out that the city hotel group have no involvement in the trading business conducted by hassonzender ltd. we were not consulted about, nor did we have any notice of this closure. ”
“that said, the difficulties faced by austins underline the need for greater action to be taken by our politicians and other policy makers to protect and nurture our city centres. the city centre is the hub of our retailing sector, but it is also much more important than that. it is both an economic and social centre for our society. action is therefore essential to ensure that it survives and thrives, despite modern retailing challenges such as the internet and out of town shopping centres. ”
mr middleton described the news as a “devastating blow for the city and especially for the staff members who yesterday had a job and were this morning given the news that they their jobs are gone .
“news that it has ceased trading is a shock to local retailing and our thoughts are with the staff affected by its closure. i will immediately be in contact with all relevant authorities to ensure that the staff are given all the support and help they require as they come to terms with today’s news and as they begin the search for new employment .
“it is important that the needs of the 53 staff remain a priority and that they get all their entitlements paid in full .
“the famous building that is synonymous with derry need to remain a viable concern and i hope that the liquidators find a new tenant. ”
a potential £130, 000 bill to tackle asbestos within the austin’s building in derry had proved a major factor in the company going into liquidation, the ‘journal’ can reveal .
derry city council officials raised the issue of dealing with the asbestos following the introduction of new regulations, in the spring of 2015 .
the journal has been told that the liquidator were still at the early stage of their investigation into the reasons for the demise of the company .
a report seen by the journal however states: “as part of the policy of best practice, the company commissioned a full survey of the property and then passed the findings to the landlord, the city hotel group (chg). however the chg insisted that the matter be dealt with by hassonzender - a position that was to pose major problems for the company’s ability to move forward .
“for seven months, from april to november, this one single issue was to undermine all the company’s future planning. for potential investors, this issue was always going to be a problem as it was estimated that the cost of the asbestos removal would be in the order of £130, 000. “
in a statement to the ‘journal’, a spokesman for the city hotel group said: “the city hotel group had no knowledge of any asbestos related issues until it was notified by the tenant hassonzender ltd in march 2015 .
“legal opinion was obtained by the city hotel group which confirmed this was the responsibility of the tenant hassonzender under the terms of the building lease .
“the city hotel group were not involved in the discussions with potential investors. ”
the documents state the objective of the new company was to “preserve the business going forward along with the 50 or so jobs. ”
it was around this time that the asbestos issue was raised. in november, 2015 the company director met with mccambridge - duffy, and without any real investment being secured, it was agreed the company could not trade beyond christmas. however, a “turnaround specialist” was engaged who indicated that there would be investor interest but that the lease with the city hotel group would require “substantial amendments. ”
meetings were held in mid - february to address this but, the report states, “no progress on the vital issues was made” and the decision was taken to place the company into a creditors’ voluntary liquidation .
a spokesman for mccambridge - duffy said that the liquidator of hassonzender ltd. was appointed on march 8, 2016. he said: “a liquidator has a statutory obligation to investigate the reasons for the demise of a company and in this case these investigations are at an early stage. it would not be appropriate to make any comment on the matters raised at this stage. ”
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1. 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
you can be assured that purchasing from our website is safe. all card transactions are processed securely by sagepay .
provided such good service for my friend visiting from 400 miles away that she waited until she came again to get more. this year though she was very disappoint
e staff were not busy with other customers but couldn' t seem able or willing to stay and help while she tried sets on. this meant she felt embarrasse
just bought a set of suits for my wedding. excellent service and value for money. we are both really pleased and a big thank you to paul who helped us through the whole process .
today with my husband to be to look for suits for our big day. the gentleman mark who served us was lovely and a great help. he was very accommodat
on saturday afternoon i came in and had my makeup done on the benefit counter. marnie was amazing! so approachab
le and friendly. my eyes looked amazing for a night out. she' s so attentive and have an
honest opinion when a colour ect didn' t suit me. fire truck red lips aren' t for me! my makeup lasted all evening and i love the new products i purchased !
s really friendly and helpful and told me it' s usually 1st class post and the game arrived the next day in super condition .
in the south west, if not the south of england. a huge range of selection of toys at very good prices. staff go out of their way to ensure you get exactly what you
really pleased to see you don' t open on boxing day - if you can do it why can' t all the big stores. so well done .
. if you are buying a suit ask for paul - really knows his business. he was so helpful and gave great advice. we will definitely
excellent service when dealing with changing bra sizes by post. thank you for the stress free experience
sinead mclaughlin, chief executive of the londonderry chamber of commerce, said: “at one stage it was the city centre and very much the heart of people’s purchasing, and that has changed. ”
she added: “it has had a number of very difficult trading years. the city centre has rejigged itself but it has had challenging times with competition from the multinationals. ”
derry born sdlp leader and member of the stormont assembly colum eastwood said: “this shocking news again shows just how important it is to promote and protect our city and town centres as retailing hubs. a thriving centre creates a vibrancy and football which is turn attracts more businesses. we should be doing everything in our power to make city centres more attractive to retailers. ”
the chief executive of the northern ireland independent retail trade association, glynn roberts, added: “this is truly dreadful news that one of oldest independent retailers in europe is to close its doors after 186 years of trading in londonderry. this is not just a loss for derry, but to northern ireland’s independent retail sector as whole. ”
© 2018 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved .
sinead mclaughlin, chief executive of the londonderry chamber of commerce, said :
at one stage it was the city centre and very much the heart of people' s purchasing and that has changed .
the landmark business opened in 1830, the cusp of the victorian era, when thomas austin established a drapery shop in the corner of the diamond .
it blossomed in an age of prosperity to include household names and survived the troubles which tore the heart out of the city .
a roof - top restaurant and vendors of homeware and cutlery operated from the building .
the company posted significant losses in recent years amid fierce competition from out - of - town and online retailers .
ms mclaughlin added :
it has had a number of very difficult trading years. the city centre has rejigged itself but it has had challenging times with competition from the multinationals .
i think it is now incumbent upon all the city stakeholders to look at the viability of our city centre. traditional retailing is being challenged between out - of - town centres, the euro and online trading .
dup assembly member gary middleton said workers were devastated after being called to a meeting first thing on tuesday morning .
it is a big blow. those 53 staff are unemployed. it is devastating right across the city .
we noticed that you' re using an unsupported browser. the tripadvisor website may not display properly. we support the following browsers :
coffee out of a machine and tasteless. both scones (plain and cheese) were stale. coffee shop was clean and tables cleaned as soon as people left. won’t return .
many thanks for taking the trouble to comment on your recent visit to our coffee shop, and we are very sorry that you had a poor coffee break with us. we have a variety of coffee strengths available from our melitta bean to cup coffee ...
.... . on a sunny bank holiday alone in newton abbot (while my husband attended a business meeting), i wandered through the small town of newton abbot, almost all the shops were closed, and after having wandered round waterstones and bought a couple of books i ...
note: your question will be posted publicly on the questions & answers page .
* tripadvisor llc is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site... (
tripadvisor llc is not responsible for content on external web sites. taxes, fees not included for deals content .
an application to restore and refurbish derry’s historic austin’s building has been lodged with planners .
the agent behind the plans has confirmed to the ‘journal’ that there is now interest from a single retailer to take over the building .
paul durnien, project manager, said they planned to restore the building to its former glory, both internally and externally .
the application on behalf of the austin’s regeneration trust limited, is for the “refurbishment and restoration of a vacant listed building with proposed new rear extension to upper floors” .
the ground floor dual fronted shop front to be re - designed with tradition materials, with corrective work to façade, retaining all elements of the ornate building .
the application also proposes a change of use from fourth floor offices to retail floor space .
mr durnien from durniern surveyors, who have also said been involved in several other large scale regeneration projects in the same area, they hoped to get through the planning stage by the end of the summer .
“this will be a real catalyst for the diamond area and a single destination retailer for that area, ” he said .
“we want to restore the building’s facade back to what they were and internally reinstate the big feature staircase. we want to bring it back to its former glory. ”
work at the building is due to start as soon as approval is secured, and are expected to take between six and nine months to complete, and the building could potentially be reopened early next year .
“this would involve quite a number of jobs in construction and full and part - time jobs whenever it is in operation, ” he said .
responding to the confirmation that an application has been received, sdlp group leader on derry and strabane district council, martin reilly, said: “i am glad that the beautiful façade of austin’s is to be retained and hope that this new application will be a positive development for our city centre. ”
the company had posted significant losses in recent years amid fierce competition from out - of - town and online retailers .
in november 2014, the building was sold to city hotel group, while the trading side of the business was conducted by hassonzender ltd .
in a statement, city hotel group said they had not been notified of the closure .
it is with regret that the directors of the city hotel have learned from media reports of the closure of the business operated by the trading company known as hassonzender ltd ,
the statement said .
city hotel group said it had not been consulted and received no notice of the closure .
by using this site, you agree we can set and use cookies. for more details of these cookies and how to disable them, see our cookie policy .
dup assembly member gary middleton said workers were devastated after being called to a meeting first thing this morning .
plans for the removal of wood from a controversial bonfire in east belfast appear to have been put on hold despite safety concerns from local residents .
mary lou mcdonald has said that ireland must not become collateral damage amid the “tory civil war over brexit” .
by alan erwin a man accused of inflicting multiple wounds to a stab victim may rely on vertigo in a bid to prove no intent was involved, the high court heard today .
the resignation of two british cabinet ministers are matters for the prime minster theresa may, a spokesperson for the taoiseach has said .
we' re in state of disbelief. . it doesn' t seem real: dunlop family left in shock as ...
psni watch bonfire rebuilt next to electricity sub - station - threat to thousands of ...
william dunlop: lindy mcdowell: god help louise as she buries son after burying a ...
fifty - three staff were told at a meeting on tuesday that they had lost their jobs .
in november 2014, the building was sold to the city hotel group. the receiver then sold the trading side of the business .
in a statement, the group said they were not notified of the closure .
it is with regret that the directors of the city hotel have learned from media reports of the closure of the business operated by the trading company known as hassonzender ltd .
we would point out that the city hotel group have no involvement in the trading business conducted by hassonzender ltd .
we were not consulted about, nor did we have any notice of this closure .
speaking to bbc radio foyle, ronan duffy, of mccambridge duffy llp, confirmed he had been appointed liquidator of the company .
it' s a very sad day for the city and for most of us ,
he said .
i' m aware they went through some difficulties previously and restructured several years back, but it just hasn' t proven to be enough .
staff are due to meet the liquidators during the week to organise redundancy payments .
there was a meeting first thing addressed by management and myself and, as you can imagine, it was fairly emotional ,
said mr duffy .
it was a shock and it' s a very painful process for everyone involved .
we just want to deal with the employees as a priority and they will get paid by their redundancy payment service ,
he said .
the foreign secretary quits, telling theresa may
needless self - doubt
is leading to
semi - brexit
.
austins was a department store in the diamond area of derry in northern ireland . the store was established in 1830 and , until 2016 , remained standing as the world 's oldest independent department store . the building measures 25,000 square feet ( 2,300 m ² ) and is five stories high , with an edwardian-style baroque exterior built in 1906 by ma robinson after the original building was destroyed by fire . the austins department store building in the diamond was owned by the city hotel group , but the actual retail operation was leased to hassonzender , which went into liquidation . the department store closed its doors to staff and the public without warning on 8 march 2016 . the liquidators state that the unforeseen costs of dealing with asbestos , and the disruption to trading this would have entailed , proved to be a stumbling block to attracting investment and this led to the sudden closure . derry city council officials raised the issue of dealing with the asbestos following the introduction of new regulations , in the spring of 2015 . 
austins was a department store in the diamond area of derry in northern ireland. the store was established in 1830 and, until 2016, remained standing as the world's oldest independent department store. the building measures 25,000 square feet (2,300 m ²) and is five stories high, with an edwardian-style baroque exterior built in 1906 by ma robinson after the original building was destroyed by fire. the austins department store building in the diamond was owned by the city hotel group, but the actual retail operation was leased to hassonzender, which went into liquidation. the department store closed its doors to staff and the public without warning on 8 march 2016. the liquidators state that the unforeseen costs of dealing with asbestos, and the disruption to trading this would have entailed, proved to be a stumbling block to attracting investment and this led to the sudden closure. derry city council officials raised the issue of dealing with the asbestos following the introduction of new regulations, in the spring of 2015.
austins was a department store in the diamond area of derry in northern ireland. the store was established in 1830 and, until 2016, remained standing as the world's oldest independent department store. the building measures 25,000 square feet (2,300 m ²) and is five stories high, with an edwardian-style baroque exterior built in 1906 by ma robinson after the original building was destroyed by fire. the austins department store building in the diamond was owned by the city hotel group, but the actual retail operation was leased to hassonzender, which went into liquidation. the department store closed its doors to staff and the public without warning on 8 march 2016. the liquidators state that the unforeseen costs of dealing with asbestos, and the disruption to trading this would have entailed, proved to be a stumbling block to attracting investment and this led to the sudden closure. derry city council officials raised the issue of dealing with the asbestos following the introduction of new regulations, in the spring of 2015.