Cork City

Roches Stores

This store was founded in the early 1900s by a William Roche from Killavullen County Cork. The first store was a furniture store situated Merchant Street, where it traded under the name of ‘Cork Furniture Store’. Eventually the store expanded and started to sell ‘ladies’ clothing as well. The firm moved to new premises on Winthrop Street in 1919. These premises later became the Lee Cinema. In June of 1919 the firm took over the ‘London House’ which was one of the best-known and biggest stores on Saint Patrick’s Street. Most of the present day store stands on the original site. The store was burned down during the burning of Cork by the Auxiliaries in December 1920. For six months afterwards business was conducted from the old premise on Merchant Street. In May 1921 a temporary premises was set up in the burnt out shell until January 1927. In 1927 Roches Stores reopened in a new building on the old ‘London House’ site, where it remains to this present day. When Merchant Quay shopping complex was built in the 1990s, Merchant Street was incorporated into the buildings and extensive refurbishment an expansion took place in Roches Stores.

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