Project regeneration
Forget the recession, a new r-word is taking precedence on Castlebar’s Main Street. GILLIAN HAMILL caught up with Costcutter Express retailer Pat Staunton to find out more.
Print13 April 2010
Profile
Staunton’s Costcutter EXPRESS,
Main Street,
Castlebar,
Co Mayo
Owners: Pat and Anne Staunton
Size: 1,100 sq ft
Staff: 8, 2 full-time, 6 part-time
Main Street, Castlebar, is a street retailer Pat Staunton feels passionately about. “It’s the street that I grew up on, it’s the street that I would have done all my shopping and business on,” he says. “In the last 15 years another area of Castlebar has developed which has led to a leeching of certain businesses from the main street. And one of those core businesses which disappeared from along the main street was the pure convenience aspect.”
Both as a businessman with a number of investments on Main Street, and a native with a strong personal affinity for the town’s main thoroughfare, Staunton felt it imperative that the demand for a convenience offering should be fulfilled. “We felt there was a necessity for the people who shop and live around Main Street to be able to get traditional convenience essentials such as a cup of coffee or a pint of milk and makings of a breakfast or dinner.”
Absolute necessity
Such was his commitment to this necessity, that he first approached Costcutter and other convenience brands 18 months ago, with a view to having them open a c-store on the street. He explains: “It wasn’t necessary that the store was run by us but the requirement was that a convenience store should be positioned on Main Street. However, that coincided with the downturn in the economy and [the symbol groups] were unable to get franchisees.
“Around October 2009, we were told that one of the stores that was servicing some of the smaller convenience aspects, such as pints of milk, was about to close. We thought we just can’t let this service on the street die completely, so we re-approached two of the convenience store brand names and out of those we picked Costcutter, in order to open a store ourselves.”
This decision has paid dividends for Pat and his wife Anne as the store has “been hugely successful in terms of the reaction to it initially and has achieved growth every week.” But perhaps who better to ask about how the store has really fared, than those whose livelihoods depend on Main Street’s reputation; namely its other retailers. ShelfLife decided to gauge this mood and found plenty of praise for the new venture. Colm Hynes of nearby Hynes Shoes said: “People have responded very positively and it’s something that was badly needed on the street. There was a void there and fair play to Pat and his family for taking up the gauntlet and proceeding with the enterprise. Not only has he given the street a convenience store, but he’s given it to a very high standard.”
Regeneration results
Likewise, Peter Doherty of Joe Doherty Menswear, commented: “Obviously with the current economic climate there’s a lot of empty stores everywhere, so to see any kind of new, progressive, store like that; it’s good for the street. Rather than people having to go to a big supermarket in town it’s nice for local families to be able to go there. I look at it very positively.”
It was especially important that the street should fulfil this niche, considering it’s currently on the cusp of a major regeneration process. “The main street is about to undergo a substantial refurbishment and €2 million has been gathered to resurface the street, widen footpaths to make it more pedestrian friendly, and add more trees and benches,” says Staunton. “The whole aspect of main street will be changing over the next few weeks, and we see this as being a new start and a re-kindling of Main Street and a regeneration project.
“However, that generally implies that Main Street has died. It hasn’t; Main Street is still the main thoroughfare. We’ve had our business here for about 50 years, so we know it as being a very active, vibrant town centre. There’s just a need for refurbishment and that’s happening at the moment.”
A family affair
The deli is a key category at Staunton’s Costcutter Express; focused
Certainly, Pat Staunton is no stranger to this type of entrepreneurial spirit. His father set up his first shop, a pharmacy, in 1952, on the site where Staunton’s Costcutter now stands. He later expanded into several start-up businesses on Main Street, including a library, sports shop, and records store, Sounds Supreme. Pat’s two brothers own the Elvery’s sports chain so retail is definitely in his blood.
He himself is a trained pharmacist, but with the support and experience of the Barry Group behind him, explains that he felt confident about a move into stand-alone convenience. Two important considerations which influenced his decision to opt for Costcutter, were the value it could offer, and the fact he could source a wide range of local produce through the Barry Group’s central billing system.
Staunton declares the latter arrangement gives him “the best of both worlds” because he can still provide customers with their favourite local goods, yet also benefit from greater buying power. Barry Group area accounts manager Noel Brady adds: “A lot of admin goes into it from our side, where we would have a certain supplier, who through his own logistical constraints might only be able to supply five or six of our stores in the West of Ireland, alongside a similar supplier in Cork, West Cork and Dublin. However, we feel it’s important that those brands are seen on the shelves of our stores, because we put a big emphasis on being local and a part of the community.”
Establishing a reputation
On the subject of value, Staunton adds: “We’re constantly bombarded with offers and deals. On a lot of these products, I have to admit we’re putting them out at a low margin, to be able to compete and provide special offer deals for the consumer.
“If you look around the shop, you will see that if we get a deal we pass it on. We’re not looking for additional margin; we’re looking to establish a business. In establishing a business we have to be keen on price and it is essential that Costcutter came through with that for us and they have done.”
He is now set to capitalise on the growth the shop has already achieved, and says it should achieve its targeted figures around June or July of this year. “If we can do that then I’ll be more than happy.” It seems the local shoppers on Castlebar’s Main Street will also be smiling at the quality and value available.
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