New and improved stores open across Tirlán’s branch network

Hundreds of farmers and families from the local community recently turned out to celebrate the official opening of Tirlán CountryLife in Athboy, Co Meath.

Having expanded to include a garden centre and a store extension of an additional 6,100 square foot, hundreds of new agricultural, horticultural, pet and household product lines are now on offer to customers in an appealing environment. Car parking at the site has also been increased, with two new electric car charging points added.

Above: Tirlán Chairperson John Murphy officially opens the newly revamped CountryLife Store in Athboy, Co Meath

Cutting the ribbon and officially opening the branch which serves Tirlán suppliers and the wider public in the Meath and Louth area, John Murphy Tirlán Chairperson, said the investment clearly demonstrates the cooperative’s promise to continue to invest in rural Ireland and improve vital services in the communities it serves. “Improving the customer experience and adding a state-of-the-art garden centre future proofs this branch for years to come.”

Darren Kelly, Store Manager, said. “We’ve been hugely grateful to the surrounding community for their support since we opened our new garden centre earlier this year. I’m proud to lead the team here in the store to continue to ensure we can act as a heartbeat for the local community. We’re also delighted to have increased our staff numbers to 13 as a result of this increased investment.”

Above: Athboy Store Manager Darren Kelly pictured in the recently opened Garden Centre

New Tirlán Farmlife store opens in Clonmel

The Tirlán Farmlife Clonmel branch has relocated to a bigger store branch in the Ard Gaoithe Business Park. This is the latest store in Tirlán’s 52 branch network to benefit from an €11 million investment package.

Above: Tirlán Board Member, Bill Carroll cuts the ribbon, officially opening the new Farmlife Store in Clonmel. He’s joined by Store Manager Aidan Quigley, with Tirlan’s Head of Retail, Senan Foley far left and Director of Agribusiness, Ailish Byrne far right

The new branch is a positive move for Tirlán and Clonmel; it’s bigger, brighter and better laid out than the former location. The new store allows for the sale of a wider range of goods, with more yard space and increased parking.

This investment showcases the strategic importance of Tipperary, Tirlán’s fourth biggest supplier of milk, and demonstrates how Tirlán is living up to its promise to support local jobs and rural economies, as outlined in our Co-op’s ‘Living Proof’ sustainability strategy.

Above: Tirlán colleagues and customers celebrate the new branch opening in Clonmel

For Tirlán, our landmark retail channel investment programme is part of a range of measures to futureproof our agri, retail and garden centre services in rural communities across 12 counties, Senan Foley, Head of Retail at Tirlán said. “These major investments clearly demonstrate our promise to play a key role in supporting local jobs and rural economies. The needs of farmers, customers and the communities, of which we are part of, are evolving. Many rural communities have lost their post office or other vital services. In many instances, these services are now incorporated into our branch network to ensure Tirlán delivers on its promise of creating a modern network of stores that meet current and future demands across all of our communities across 12 counties.”