For residents of Ferrybank, the Spar on Fountain Street was more than a shop — it was the last place to grab a pint of milk or a loaf of bread without getting in the car. In May 2025, that convenience disappears. The closure marks the end of a retail presence that had served the village since the 1960s, and it leaves a community asking what comes next.

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Store name: Spar Ferrybank · Location: Fountain Street, Ferrybank, Waterford · Closure date: May 11, 2025 · Reason cited: Rising costs and declining trade · Community impact: Loss of last remaining shop in the area

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Number of employees affected — not disclosed (Kilkenny People)
  • Future use of the building — unknown (Kilkenny People)
  • Exact contribution of North Quay roadworks to decline — estimated but not quantified (Kilkenny People)
  • Whether other stores in the area are at risk — no official statement (Kilkenny People)
3Timeline signal
  • Mid-April 2025: Closure announced for early May (Waterford News & Star)
  • May 8, 2025: Confirmation of final weekend (Kilkenny People)
  • May 11, 2025: Final closure date (Waterford News & Star)
4What’s next
  • Residents travel further — to Aldi on Belmont Road or Tesco Express in Abbey Park (Waterford News & Star)
  • Ferrybank Shopping Centre remains vacant since 2008 (Waterford News & Star)
  • Community debate over North Quay roadworks impact continues (Waterford News & Star)

The snapshot shows a store that was both a convenience and a community fixture. The closure ends a six-decade retail run on Fountain Street.

Five key facts about the Spar Ferrybank closure — each drawn from local reporting and official sources.
Fact Detail
Store name Spar Ferrybank
Address Fountain Street, Ferrybank, Waterford
Closure date May 11, 2025
Reason given Rising costs and declining trade (Independent.ie)
Owner Proprietor (not named in sources)
Employees affected Not disclosed

The table confirms that the core facts — date, location, and stated reason — are well documented across multiple regional outlets.

When is the Waterford Spar shop closing?

Confirmed closure date from official sources

  • The Spar shop on Fountain Street in Ferrybank will close on Sunday, May 11, 2025, as confirmed by Waterford News & Star (a long-established local newspaper serving Waterford city and county).
  • Multiple regional outlets, including Kilkenny People and Independent.ie, reported the same date, providing consistent confirmation across sources.

Timeline of announcements leading to closure

  • Mid-April 2025: Waterford News & Star first reported that Spar Ferrybank would close in early May, framing it as a “major blow to retail” in Ferrybank (source).
  • April 18, 2025: Independent.ie confirmed the closure, citing rising costs as the primary driver (source).
  • May 8, 2025: Kilkenny People reported that the closure was set for that weekend, adding that the store was no longer sustainable (source).
Bottom line: The closure is confirmed for May 11, 2025, with consistent reporting across three separate local news outlets — no ambiguity on date or location. For residents, the countdown is clear; for local businesses, the pattern raises broader questions.

Why is the Spar in Ferrybank closing?

Rising operational costs cited by the owner

  • The proprietor told Independent.ie that the decision was “difficult” and directly tied to “rising costs” that made the business no longer viable.
  • A spokesperson for the store confirmed to Waterford News & Star that the store was “no longer sustainable” despite the owners’ efforts to keep it running.

Decline in trade and impact of North Quay roadworks

  • The store had been experiencing a decline in trade, which the Kilkenny People linked partly to ongoing disruption from the North Quay roadworks, a major infrastructure project in Waterford.
  • While the exact contribution of the roadworks to the decline was not quantified, local commentators suggested that reduced footfall from construction traffic and access issues accelerated the store’s financial challenges.
The upshot

Two pressures — rising operational costs and falling footfall from roadworks — converged on a single small store. Neither alone may have forced closure, but together they made the business untenable.

What is the community impact of the Spar closure?

Loss of the last shop in Ferrybank

  • Waterford News & Star reported that the closure leaves Ferrybank without a local shop, marking the end of an era for the village. The shop had been operating since the 1960s, originally as L&N, and was a fixture for generations.
  • This was the second closure on the same street in two years — Walsh’s Lotto Shop closed in July 2023, and Flynn’s Pub shut down in 2018 (source).

Residents’ reactions and alternatives

  • Reddit users on r/waterford expressed dismay, with one commenter calling the closure “end of an era” and lamenting the loss of the last local shop for elderly residents who relied on walking distance (Reddit).
  • Local residents who lived in older housing nearby had appreciated having a shop within walking distance; after the closure, they will need to travel further for essentials (Waterford News & Star).
Bottom line: For elderly and car-less residents, the closure isn’t symbolic — it’s a daily inconvenience that forces a longer trip for basic groceries. The village loses its last retail anchor, joining a pattern of closures that has hollowed out the street since 2018.

What alternatives are available for residents after the closure?

Nearby supermarkets and convenience stores

  • Waterford News & Star listed Aldi on Belmont Road, Walsh’s Garage on Belmont Road, and Tesco Express in Abbey Park as alternative nearby convenience options. However, these require transport — none are within walking distance for most Ferrybank residents.

Public transport options for grocery shopping

  • Public transport links between Ferrybank and Waterford city are limited, though some bus services operate along the main road. For residents without a car, accessing alternatives like Tesco Express or Aldi involves planning a trip rather than a quick walk.
The pattern

Ferrybank’s retail ecology has been thinning for years. The Spar closure completes a sequence that began with Flynn’s Pub in 2018 and continued with Walsh’s Lotto Shop in 2023. Meanwhile, the Ferrybank Shopping Centre — completed in 2008 — has sat vacant since construction ended, a visible symbol of unrealised retail investment in the area (Waterford News & Star).

What did the owners say about the closure?

Official statement from the proprietor

  • The proprietor told Independent.ie that the decision was “difficult” and made due to “rising costs” that made the business no longer viable.

Reasons for the difficult decision

  • A spokesperson for the store stated to Kilkenny People that the store was “no longer sustainable,” echoing the financial pressures cited by the proprietor.
  • No further public statements from Spar corporate have been issued regarding the closure.
Why this matters

The owners’ words carry the weight of a tough local business decision — but without an official statement from Spar Ireland, the broader corporate perspective on the closure remains unknown. For Ferrybank residents, the silence from headquarters contrasts with the very personal loss of their last shopkeeper.

“It is no longer sustainable.”

— Spokesperson for Spar Ferrybank, as reported by Kilkenny People

“This was a difficult decision to cease trading due to rising costs.”

— Proprietor of Spar Ferrybank, as reported by Independent.ie

“End of an era as Ferrybank community laments closure of last shop.”

— Reddit user on r/waterford, commenting on the closure (Reddit)

Clarity check: What’s confirmed, what’s not

Confirmed facts

  • Closure date: May 11, 2025 (Waterford News & Star)
  • Reason: Rising costs and declining trade (Independent.ie)
  • Location: Fountain Street, Ferrybank (Waterford News & Star)
  • Store is no longer sustainable (Kilkenny People)
  • Second closure on street in two years (Waterford News & Star)

What’s unclear

  • Number of employees affected — not disclosed
  • Future use of the building — unknown
  • Exact contribution of North Quay works to decline — estimated but not quantified
  • Whether other stores will close in the area — no official statement

Bottom line: Spar Ferrybank closes on May 11, 2025, leaving Waterford’s Ferrybank village without a local shop. For elderly residents and those without cars, the daily journey for groceries just got longer. For local policymakers, the vacancy of Ferrybank Shopping Centre since 2008 suggests a deeper retail problem that the Spar closure only magnifies.

Related reading: End of an era as Waterford community laments closure of last shop · Questions over whether Waterford council appealed Ferrybank centre decision by Kilkenny

Additional sources

time.news, waterford-news.ie, waterfordlive.ie, waterford-news.ie

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Waterford Spar closure permanent?

Yes. The closure is permanent, with the store closing its doors on May 11, 2025. Multiple local news outlets have confirmed the closure is final (Waterford News & Star).

What will happen to the Fountain Street building?

The future use of the building has not been announced. No plans for the site have been disclosed by the proprietor or Spar corporate.

Are there any other Spar stores in Waterford?

Yes, there are other Spar locations in Waterford city and surrounding areas, but none in Ferrybank. The closure removes the only Spar convenience store in the immediate village.

How can Ferrybank residents get groceries now?

Residents may need to travel to nearby alternatives such as Aldi on Belmont Road, Walsh’s Garage on Belmont Road, or Tesco Express in Abbey Park (Waterford News & Star). These options require transport.

Was the closure caused by the North Quay roadworks?

The roadworks were cited as one factor in the decline in trade, but the primary stated reason was rising costs and the store becoming no longer sustainable. The exact contribution of the roadworks was not quantified (Kilkenny People).

How many people worked at the Spar?

The number of employees affected has not been disclosed by the owners or by Spar corporate.

Did the store have a long history in the area?

Yes. The shop originally opened as L&N in the 1960s and had been a fixture in Ferrybank for over six decades (Waterford News & Star).

For Ferrybank residents, the choice is clear: adapt to a longer journey for everyday essentials, or watch the village’s retail landscape shrink further. With the Ferrybank Shopping Centre still vacant since 2008 and two other local businesses closed in recent years, the pattern points to a structural challenge — not just a single store shutting its doors. The implication: Ferrybank’s policymakers face a growing gap between community needs and retail investment.