Name: Penneys.
Address: 29 South Main Street, Wexford, Y35 W825.
Phone: +353539122898.
Opening Hours (Monday): 9am to 6pm.
Opening Hours (Tuesday): 9am to 6pm.
Opening Hours (Wednesday): 9am to 6pm.
Opening Hours (Thursday): 9am to 8pm.
Opening Hours (Friday): 9am to 8pm.
Opening Hours (Saturday): 9am to 6:30pm.
Opening Hours (Sunday): 11am to 6pm.
Penneys is an Irish clothing retailer that operates under the brand name Primark in England and other countries. The store sells a wide range of products, such as clothing, footwear, bedwear, clothing accessories, kitchenware, and cushions.
The Penneys store in Wexford is located on South Main Street, close to the end of Allen Street.
Trivia, History & Information
Previously, the building was home to Woolworths, a British retailer that sold a variety of goods including clothes, “pick ‘n’ mix” sweets, music records, ice cream, and toys. In the 1900s, long before Woolworths came to Wexford, the premises belonged to a hardware store called Sinnott & Sons.
The Woolworths outlet was very popular in Wexford, as it was one of the first “super” stores to open in the town. It opened on 4 April 1952 to considerable fanfare. In later years, after Woolworths had left, many Wexford residents fondly recalled visiting the store, given the wide variety of items on display.
In 1984, Woolworths announced that it was pulling out of Ireland. It closed 18 stores, and 277 people lost their jobs as a result. The company said it had decided to leave because only a small percentage of its 18 stores were making an “adequate return.”
From the 14th century onwards, the site was the location of a medieval oak-panelled house called Kenny’s Hall. It is where Oliver Cromwell is believed to have stayed for three days following the sacking of Wexford Town in 1649. Reputedly, the current building incorporates the internal fabric of the original Kenny’s Hall.
Several ghost stories and folktales surrounded the premises in the past. Former staff members of Woolworths have said they saw the dark outline of a man wearing a cloak, believed to be the ghost of Oliver Cromwell. Others recalled that a door called the “murdering hole” was present in the building. In an Irish Times article during the early 1950s, then-owner Frank Gaul spoke about the “murdering hole,” saying that it was a door “through which unwelcome guests are said to have disappeared forever.” Current staff members of Penneys are unsure about the location of such a door, as the building has undergone several renovations.
Map
A Google map showing the location of Penneys in Wexford Town: