Expansion, innovation and a customer-first vision
Tesco Ireland’s Paul Healy outlines how store expansion, rapid delivery and Irish provenance are driving customer-first growth
Print30 January 2026
Donna Ahern met with Paul Healy, Tesco Ireland’s retail operations director, to get a behind-the-scenes look inside Tesco Ireland’s growth story and to discuss the retailer’s expansion, innovation and customer-first vision.
The population is growing, housing developments are increasing, and customers are calling out for us to be closer to where they live.
Walking through Tesco Clarehall Shopping Centre on Dublin’s Malahide Road with Paul Healy, Tesco Ireland’s retail operations director, it’s immediately clear that this is a business in confident motion. Clarehall is more than just another store on the network – it’s a symbol of where Tesco Ireland has come from and where it’s heading next.
Healy knows the shop floor intimately. In fact, Clarehall once fell under his direct leadership when he was a store manager. Today, as retail operations director (a role he took up in March 2025), he oversees Tesco’s entire retail operation across Ireland, and is responsible for Stores, Distribution, Fulfilment and Business Support.
‘Strong Christmas’
Tesco Ireland has reported a strong third-quarter performance for 2025/26, capped off by a highly successful Christmas trading period. Food sales rose by 5.2% year-on-year, with particularly robust growth in fresh food – a category increasingly central to Irish shoppers, its latest financial results show.
That focus on quality has paid off. During the quarter, Tesco’s fresh food offering was recognised with a record 84 Blas na hÉireann awards, including 26 gold medals, underlining the retailer’s emphasis on Irish provenance, innovation and consistency.
In the four weeks to 28 December 2025, Tesco held 24.5% of the Irish grocery market, delivering value growth of 6.8% year-on-year. According to Worldpanel by Numerator, Tesco is now the second-largest grocer in Ireland, with an influx of new shoppers contributing an additional €35.6 million to its overall performance.
“This isn’t just about one good Christmas,” Healy explains. “It reflects years of momentum built on a relentless customer-first focus.”
Investing in stores
Physical store expansion remains a cornerstone of Tesco Ireland’s growth strategy. In recent weeks alone, the retailer opened five new stores, including large-format locations in Howth and Drogheda, creating 220 new jobs.
Looking ahead to 2026, Tesco plans to accelerate that expansion, targeting both large stores and convenience formats.
“There are still large parts of Ireland we don’t cover,” Healy says. “The population is growing, housing developments are increasing, and customers are calling out for us to be closer to where they live.”
Tesco’s current large-store format – typically around 25,000 square feet – is proving particularly well-suited to regional towns, while Express stores continue to meet demand for quick, convenient shopping in urban and commuter areas.
The rise of rapid delivery
Alongside bricks-and-mortar growth, Tesco Ireland’s Whoosh rapid-delivery service is emerging as a major success story. Launched as a trial in early 2025, Whoosh allows customers to order groceries and receive them within 45 minutes, often faster.
Initially rolled out in Dublin, Whoosh has since expanded to Cork and Galway and is now available in 27 stores, with ambitious plans for further expansion.
“It’s perfect for those ‘I’ve forgotten an ingredient’ moments,” Healy explains. “It’s about convenience, simplicity and meeting customers where they are.”
Whoosh complements Tesco’s broader online offering, which continues to grow year on year. With close to 400 grocery delivery vans on Irish roads daily and two major distribution hubs in Dublin, Tesco’s online infrastructure is firmly embedded in its long-term strategy.
Transparency and Irish provenance
As the world’s biggest retail buyer of Irish food and drink, Tesco works with over 500 local suppliers, the vast majority of whom are small and medium-sized enterprises. Maintaining trust with customers is central to that relationship.
“There’s a growing concern among shoppers about authenticity,” Healy says. “We want to be absolutely clear and transparent about where our products come from. If it’s Irish, we say it’s Irish. If it’s not, we don’t pretend it is.”
This commitment to provenance is increasingly important in an age of influencer scrutiny and viral misinformation, and Tesco is determined to protect the trust it has built with Irish consumers.
Jobs, careers and opportunity
Tesco Clarehall Shopping Centre on Dublin’s Malahide Road
Job creation remains a key outcome of Tesco’s expansion. In 2025 alone, the company created over 400 new roles, and similar – if not higher – levels of recruitment are expected in 2026 as new superstores and Express locations open.
Tesco now employs more than 13,500 people across Ireland, and Healy’s own career is a testament to the opportunities available within the business.
He started as a part-time shelf stacker in Douglas, Cork over 25 years ago.
“I started to get a little bit of responsibility early on. I was put in charge of an eight-foot juice fridge. And my job was to ensure that nothing without a date was placed in the juice fridge,” he laughs.
From there, he progressed through training roles, store management, regional leadership, commercial strategy and ultimately into the operations director role.
“Retail is a business where you really can work your way up,” he says. “If you’re willing to take opportunities, they’re there.”
Looking ahead
With strong trading performance, expanding market share and continued investment across stores, online delivery and distribution, Tesco Ireland enters 2026 with confidence.
But for Healy, growth isn’t just about numbers.
“Our ambition is simple,” he says. “Every time a customer shops with us – whether online, in-store, or through Whoosh – the experience should be better than the last.”
From Clarehall to Cork, from fresh food sales to 45-minute deliveries, Tesco Ireland’s strategy is clear: stay close to customers, invest with purpose, and keep evolving in step with how Ireland shops today.
Read more: Tesco Ireland opens new Belmayne store
Related Articles
Irish food and drink producers export €900m of products annually to international Tesco stores →
Followers 0
Fans 0
Followers