Dublin opening features in Auntie Anne’s 50-store milestone

Auntie Anne’s has named Dublin’s Liffey Valley Shopping Centre among its recent openings as the brand approaches 50 outlets across the UK and Ireland. Its planned Eastbourne opening on 12 September 2026 would bring the combined estate halfway towards a stated target of 100 locations by 2030.

Liffey Valley brings an Irish connection

The Dublin opening features in a growth update reported by QSR Media on 9 September. Alongside Liffey Valley, the report identifies Frasers Plus Braehead in Glasgow as another recent addition to the Auntie Anne’s estate.

For Ireland’s franchise community, Liffey Valley is the direct local connection in an announcement otherwise centred on a forthcoming English opening. It places Dublin within the brand’s recent expansion activity, rather than simply within the geographical wording of its UK and Ireland target.

The available report does not give an opening date for Liffey Valley, identify its operator or disclose the investment involved. It also provides no staffing figures or trading results for the Dublin location. The supported news is therefore specific: Liffey Valley is listed among recent openings contributing to the brand’s expanding presence across the two markets.

That distinction matters when assessing an international brand’s progress in Ireland. A named local opening offers a clearer indication of activity than a combined-market ambition alone, although it does not establish the scale or pace of further Irish expansion.

Eastbourne is set to mark the halfway point

The location scheduled to take Auntie Anne’s to 50 stores is The Beacons shopping centre in Eastbourne. According to the September report, it is due to open on 12 September, marking the halfway point towards 100 UK and Ireland locations by 2030.

The milestone is a combined total, not an Irish store count. It should not be read as evidence that the brand has 50 outlets in Ireland, or that a particular share of its next openings will be here.

Likewise, the 2030 figure is a target rather than a confirmed schedule of openings. Reaching it would mean adding another 50 locations to the estate at the milestone described in the report. However, the research does not set out an annual opening programme or divide that ambition between the UK and Ireland.

For prospective franchise partners, the distinction between the current estate and the future target is important. The milestone describes the scale the brand expects to reach with Eastbourne; the target describes where it intends to go next.

Shopping-centre locations feature in the update

Shopping centres provide a common thread through the locations named in the announcement. The forthcoming Eastbourne store is at The Beacons, while the recent Dublin opening is at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. Frasers Plus Braehead in Glasgow also appears in the recent-opening list.

These examples make retail destinations a visible part of this particular growth update. They do not, on their own, establish a comprehensive property strategy or show which formats the brand might consider elsewhere in Ireland.

For readers evaluating a possible franchise opportunity, that is a useful boundary. The named sites provide starting points for questions about location requirements and operating formats, but they offer no basis for estimating rents, customer numbers, turnover or profitability.

Nor does the announcement identify any additional Irish towns or shopping centres in a future pipeline. Liffey Valley remains the concrete Irish development within this story.

What Ireland’s franchise community can take from it

The announcement combines a recent Dublin opening with a measurable UK and Ireland milestone and a longer-term expansion target. Together, those facts make Auntie Anne’s a brand worth following for further Irish development, without implying that additional locations have already been agreed.

The next useful details would be an Ireland-specific expansion plan, information about available opportunities and clarity on the operating arrangements behind individual stores. None is supplied in the reported update.

Practical takeaway: Treat Liffey Valley as confirmed recent Irish activity and the 100-location ambition as a combined-market target. Anyone considering an opportunity should seek current Irish availability, full investment requirements and location-level evidence before making a decision.