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Kevin Lowe emigrated to New York in 1985 and upon returning over a decade ago, found convenience retailing in Ireland had been radically transformed

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12 September 2011

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Garlow’s Londis,
Grange, Co Sligo

Retailer: Kevin Lowe
Size: 2,800 sq ft
Staff No: 18

Investing ten years in a business which continues to perform strongly despite the country’s current economic woes, is an achievement worth celebrating. This is exactly what retailer Kevin Lowe and his team did earlier this year at Garlow’s Londis in Grange, Co Sligo, when the popular c-store reached its first decade of trading.

In fact, the shop was fully re-launched to mark the occasion. Ocean FM broadcast the action from the “packed out” fun-day celebrations, which hosted three bouncy castles to keep the store’s younger clientele thoroughly amused. Free food and drinks were also available, and business was brisk due to the high numbers of people visiting the buzzing store.

A New York state of mind

However, when Kevin Lowe first decided to enter retailing, a thriving convenience store wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned. A mechanic by trade, the County Roscommon native emigrated to New York in 1985 to work in the Big Apple’s construction industry. On deciding to return to Ireland in 2001, a joint garage and shop which could offer automobile repairs, was the business he had imagined setting up. As he explains: “My mindset was still back in the early eighties so I wanted to establish a garage that would fix cars and tyres and offer a small general shop, but of course when I came back, it had all changed”.

Gleaming c-stores with a heavy focus on the deli offering, in order to keep the country’s breakfast roll men well-fuelled, had instead become the order of the day during the heights of Celtic Tiger Ireland. Subsequently this was the route that Lowe and his silent business partner John O’Gara decided to pursue, but as the retailer explains, events “just really transpired that way. I didn’t really intend it, but it was a huge new challenge and we enjoyed it”.

Securing the right site

Fortunately, Lowe’s business partner was able to search for sites while he was still in America. The discovery of the Grange, Co Sligo site, he describes as a “very lucky” one, because “it’s hard to get a location as good as this”. The store which is located on the N15, benefits from “a huge local trade” as well as being a prominent area for tourism, surrounded by hotspots such as Mullaghmore, Lisadell House and Yeats’ Country.

Usually, Lowe describes his mix of trade as being split 60/40 in terms of passing trade and local custom respectively. On the other hand, he adds that, “I know people who come in here and I think they’re locals and they’re actually not; they’re from 50 miles away. They just come in here every other day!”

Another important plus point for the store’s location, is that the retailer says he’s “happy living in this area. You could easily get a good opportunity in an undesirable area but I’m very happy where we are”.

Gradual growth

Having found the right site, the two partners decided to combine a part of each of their surnames, O’Gara and Lowe, in order to christen their 1,600 sq ft store Garlow’s Londis. After examining several symbol group offerings, and ruling out a partnership with Spar on the grounds that a Spar store already existed within the town, Lowe notes he decided to partner with Londis, because he was impressed by the group’s calibre of people. “There was one particular guy in Londis who’s not with them anymore, Brian Ahern, I just found him absolutely brilliant,” he adds.

The next major changes occurred during the store’s fifth trading year, when the business was extended to its current 2,800 sq ft space, with an expanded seating area and deli space, which has since been enlarged yet again. A full off-licence was also added at that time. More recently, around six months ago, the store introduced a full take-away to complement its existing deli offering, which has proved a consistently strong-performer throughout the past 10 years. However as Lowe notes, “When the era of breakfast roll man ended, I had to find a new way of adding more customers.” He subsequently now offers hot food from 6.30 am until 10.30 pm, in order to satisfy the hunger cravings of the shop’s customers around-the-clock.

Food fires up business

Further explaining the logic behind this new addition to the business, Lowe adds that there’s “a huge emphasis on food because that seems to be the thing that’s really working.” The popular Garlow’s Take-Away, which is open between 2.30 pm and 10.30 pm, is staffed by two Italian chefs who the retailer says make “brilliant fish and chips” as well as burgers and authentic pizzas. With this boost in place, the store was then re-merchandised and painted in preparation for its 10 years anniversary re-launch.

As a result of hot food playing such a key role in driving sales, it’s little wonder that Lowe believes it’s essential to constantly excel in this category and provide the variety that customers demand. “The day of just the jambon and the sausage roll is over, those products are still there obviously, but now we have to offer that little bit more.” Bearing this in mind, Garlow’s Londis offers tasty carvery rolls and roast beef, turkey and ham at lunchtimes. In a bid to attract budget-conscious students, the Londis also offers a special student deal of a chicken fillet roll for £3.50 along with a free bottle of water.

Offering more offers

Promotional offers are now a crucial part of convenience retailing in Lowe’s view. “That’s what you have to do now, give more to try and keep business going,” he adds. “That would be the major change in the industry. Whereas convenience stores, six or seven years ago, typically didn’t really have to do any special offers, now it’s a huge segment of the business.”

Londis, he believes, has strengthened its promotional offerings in recent years, yet crucially, has still managed to retain a level of margin for the retailer, without which “your business would be dead.”

Strong offers have also generated good feedback from the store’s customers, who are increasingly seeking the brands they have confidence in at bargain prices. For example, Lowe highlights the fact that in his off-licence, shoppers can pick up a bottle of Yellow Tail wine for just £7. Customers love that, he says, “because they’re not coming in and finding an unrecognisable wine; they’re coming in and finding a well-known brand like Yellow Tail” at an attractive price. This is essential in his view, as while Londis offers a selection of own brand goods, customers are still opting for “mainline brands as well, under special offer”.

Online networking

Online social networking is proving a useful marketing tool for getting the message about such strong promotional offerings out into the public domain. As well as using flyers and newspaper advertising, the store-owner promotes the offers on Facebook, noting “I think it’s the way to go.” However he does sound a note of caution about maintaining a profile on the popular networking site. “You have to update it every week and stay on top of it and make sure that your friends get their friends involved.” But as he also notes, the service is free, which certainly makes it a cost-effective marketing option.

As well as venturing into the realms of online networking, the store has always played an important role within the local community. On the subject of local sponsorships, Lowe says: “We’ve a great community and we try to help everybody as much as we can of course. I tend to never say no.” The store also supports local suppliers by sourcing its eggs, potatoes and meats from the surrounding area.

Learning everyday

The store benefits from having an excellent team of staff; several of whom have actually been with the shop since it opened, and a few more who have been working there for around seven years. Lowe says that he has in fact learnt some important retailing nuggets of wisdom from his experienced employees. “I’ve actually learnt from them as well as learning by myself. I don’t proclaim to know everything, because I don’t. Everyday is a learning curve, that is for sure.”

This open-minded approach certainly seems to be delivering dividends. On one wall is a host of certificates from the Londis Retailing Excellence Awards, including the Silver Excellence Award 2009. Not only that, but an array of photographs with happy celebrity customers is also showcased including Anne Robinson, Randy Travis, and the actor John Harold, who played Coronation Street’s Jack Duckworth. Meanwhile, the retailer reveals that the Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume and the comedian Des Bishop are also content clients; the latter being a particular fan of the store’s chicken fillet roll!

With an enticing selection of commercial tenants on the shop’s two acre site including a barber shop, laundrette, hardware store, car valet service and beauty parlour, this Londis certainly appears to have no problems drawing the customers in. Lowe also intends to improve his ice cream offering by next summer, in order to keep offering his customers a truly one-stop shop. This dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed by shoppers moreover who continue to frequent the c-store despite tightening purse strings. As the retailer testifies, “We’ve got very loyal customers now, it took a long time to build up, but our custom base is still there.”

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