Store Profile
Flying start for new Finglas Murdock’s Aoife Kinsella talks success with Barry Thornton and Gary Ryan from Murdock Builders Merchants at the recently opened Finglas store. Since its grand opening on July 15th, Murdock Builders Merchants’ newest branch in Finglas has been going from strength to strength. Such a successful start is down to a dream combination: convenient location on the busy St Margaret’s Road, a dedicated team, and impressive range and merchandising. Entering the store, I was struck by the large area dedicated to DIY, as well as the extensive product displays including Timber, Workwear and Hardware. The trade counter was bustling, with assistants attending to customers in person and by phone. Clearly, business is brisk and the friendly, efficient staff are well able to cope. Barry Thornton, Managing Director for the group’s ROI branches, and Branch Manager Gary Ryan gave me the grand tour and a bit of history. 24
Expanding into Dublin Murdock Builders Merchants is a well-established name in this sector. The original branch opened in Newry in 1982, followed in 2006 by the first Dublin-area store in Balbriggan. Finglas marks their fourth Dublin outlet, with stores also in Ballymount and Kilbarrack. Thornton reports that development plans for the Republic of Ireland are well underway. “My job is to lead our expansion into Dublin in the years to come; our new branch in Finglas is key to this growth. A Bray branch is due to open next year.”
More space to succeed As Branch Manager for both Finglas and Kilbarrack (opened late 2017) stores, Ryan divides his time between locations. September/October 2019