Spiralling Costs Force Dublin Store to Relocate

Iconic Dublin music store, Waltons World of Music, has been forced to relocate from the city centre after having a presence there for nearly 100 years.

In 1922, Martin Walton opened the eponymous music shop on North Great Frederick Street. He also founded the Dublin School of Music. The shop closed down in 2013, but reopened on South Great George’s Street in 1992.

Increasing rents and other costs mean MD Niall Walton has been forced to make redundancies and relocate the store to reduce overheads.

“We’re a marginal business, we’re not clothes or electronics,” he said, “so we only sell to about 10 per cent of the population. The internet is also taking away a lot of business from the music industry. People will buy anything online, so the turnover goes down in general because of online shopping; and on top of that the rents go up.”

The business will now operate from Blanchardstown Shopping Center in the suburbs of West Dublin.