“We won’t be rushing into anything but we’ll always keep an eye out.” So says retailer Fergal Ralph, elucidating on whether he and his brother Ger have plans to open further Spar stores already in the pipeline. It’s a strategy that has stood the dynamic duo in good stead so far. Between them, the brothers currently hold an impressive seven stores under their belts; including three Spars at Dublin airport, one at Holywell in Swords, Co Dublin, another in Clonee and a further Eurospar in Dunboyne, Co Meath.
It’s perhaps not surprising that the brothers have achieved a consistent upward trajectory within retailing, given their backgrounds within the industry. Their father and uncle first started making strides in retail back in 1962, when they opened their first store, which was then based in Clondalkin, Dublin, and has since closed. The family is subsequently celebrating its fiftieth year in business this year. Next year will also mark an equally instrumental fiftieth anniversary though, as it was during the following year of 1963 that the pair’s father became the first Spar retailer in Ireland.
Early beginnings
Retail has subsequently always played an important role in the brothers’ lives. “We’ve been in shops all our life, and that’s all we know,” says Ralph. “From the time we could reach the bottom shelf we were busy packing.” From these early beginnings, expansion for the Ralphs has proved more or less a continuous experience, with the Dunboyne store forming an important asset within the group’s portfolio; first opening as a Spar store in 1997 and converting to a Eurospar outlet in 2005. Further demonstrating the family’s well-known retailing credentials moreover is the fact that their brother is another familiar figure within the retailing industry; being none other than BWG retail development director Declan Ralph.
Fergal and Ger’s latest venture, which opened its doors on 1 February 2012, is Spar Longwood, a 3,000 sq ft store located in the village of Longwood, Co Meath. The family felt Longwood provided a strong location for a potential store, and was a site that they have been considering for quite some time. “We were looking at it a few years back at the time of the boom but finances weren’t available then,” says Ralph, who explains more about what attracted the family into Longwood.
Strong local demand
“We felt the area needed a good store because if you travel in three different directions from here, there’s Kinnegad, Enfield and Trim and they’re all just around 10 minutes away in the car but that means you still have to drive to reach your local store.” In fact, while the immediate population of Longwood stands at some 3,000 people, if the surrounding hinterlands are included, the overall catchment area could contain up to 6,000 or 7,000 potential customers.
“There’s a mix of local people and Dublin people who moved down in the housing boom, there’s no ghost estates and there’s three schools; two primary and a secondary school,” adds the retailer, explaining more about the area’s advantages from a business perspective. Currently in Longwood, a 1,000 sq ft Gala Express store is also based along the village’s main street, but Ralph believes his Spar which is three times larger, offers a wider grocery range which has been well-received by local residents. “The reaction has been very good and it’s building up every week,” notes the retailer, when commenting on the positive feedback that the shop has received since opening just a few short months ago.
A fresh focus
Spar Longwood is subsequently focused on providing a broad grocery range with a strong emphasis on fresh, rather than relying heavily on the impulse categories. “In connection with BWG we did a lot of research as to what we thought would work so we’re trying to aim the store more at a mini-supermarket model than a Dublin convenience store model,” explains Ralph. “From that point of view, the fresh meat area and hot and cold deli and bakery categories are all very strong”. Overall the three strongest performing categories are fruit and vegetables, bakery and the deli, which has proved a hit “because there was no in-store deli previously in the town”.
The retailer is confident that Spar Longwood offers prices good enough to entice people not to get in the car and drive further afield for their weekly grocery shop. Commenting on the value available, he comments: “I think Spar in general have hit that point. That’s the reality of it and the offers that they’re delivering are just as good as any of the supermarkets at this stage. People know that and they can see it, and that’s reflected in what they say. They’re very happy with our offers.” By keeping prices competitive, customers feel confident enough to “pick up a basket and do a full basket shop. It’s not just the newspaper and cigarette top-up shop”.
Creating jobs
Alongside pleasing locals with their wallet-friendly prices, Spar Longwood has also brought good news to the village by creating employment. In total the store that is open seven days a week from 7am to 10pm, employs 15 staff, including three managers. Eleven staff members are locals and Ralph adds that the opening of the store created a boost for the local economy by “taking 10 people off the live register.”
In fact, such was the demand for jobs, that the new store didn’t even have to advertise for staff before becoming inundated with applications. “There were people from all different walks of life applying, very eager to get back into work. We actually didn’t have to advertise that we were opening a store, the CVs just started coming in,” notes Ralph, who is pleased with the hardworking team he now has in place at the store.
Following several different planogram designs, working alongside BWG and Regional Paul McGrath, the retailer notes that he is also “very happy” with the final layout of the store, where all the key categories are featured prominently at the front of the shop.
Looking forwards
Discussing the team’s immediate plans for the future, Ralph notes the store is currently waiting to install a Lotto machine, off-licence and ATM. “We feel that when we get these services, the off-licence in particular will help boost sales,” he comments. He’s confident moreover that the off-licence will prove the high sales generator that he’s hoping for, as “its already been asked for a lot by customers.”
While it’s all steam ahead at Spar Longwood, ShelfLife was also interested to hear what’s next for the Ralphs’ ever-expanding portfolio. If there are any specific sites under consideration however, then the retailers could be forgiven for keeping these close to their chests, but Ralph nevertheless concedes: “Obviously now could be the time to be planning on getting involved [with a new store] again. Hopefully things can only go up from here.”
What’s more, the brothers are reaping the benefits from their decision to group in together at this stage. “We’re able to give each other extra support, and I suppose help make up for whatever our faults and downfalls are,” says Ralph. With an optimistic attitude and the experience and ability of both brothers in place – particularly when it comes to their obvious talents in selecting prudent locations – the Ralphs appear to be in a firm position to continue growing in the years ahead.
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