What if Tesco hadn't bought Quinnsworth?

rowantree18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119577322#Comment_119577322

I'll raise you No divorce, no contraception - oh, sorry, unless you were married and got a prescription for condoms, aka Haughey's irish solution to an irish problem" or went on "hormone regulating tablets" for menstrual problems, aka the pill. No abortion, no rights for homosexual people who could, apparently, be beaten to death in Fairview Park and a judge could tell the perpetrators it was "understandable ". I'll give you the 90s thanks. Quinnsworth was grand though, in fairness. Can't ever forget Maurice Pratt. Cultural icon.

supereurope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122951131#Comment_122951131

I wonder if the Five Star takeover was the reason for so many "split" Quinnsworths? After the acquisition, QW found itself with a second store in several locations (e.g., Ballyfermot, Bray, Stillorgan), and instead of shutting the old Five Star store, they moved toys, hardware, the off-licence, etc. into them.

supereurope

Was watching a 1981 news report on flooding in Cork and Dublin in the RTÉ Archives, and caught a glimpse of the old Quinnsworth supermarket on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork. Another former Five Star shop, it's where Guineys is now. I assume Quinnsworth closed it when they opened Paul St in 1985.

Magiie

It’s amazing that Superquinn were losing g huge money and Fergal Quinn had to sell. I think the only way to get our grocery sectors back into Irish control is to support the Irish supermarkets. The likes of Supervalu, Eurospar, Dunnes, Spar, Centra, Ardkeen Foods, Nolan’s of Clontarf and all the small Irish stores.
At least that will keep the profits in Ireland and we can all benefit from supporting them. Supporting all the foreign stores is just giving money to other economies and we as a country lose billions every year in lost revenue.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122955891#Comment_122955891

Spar are Dutch actually. I didn’t realise that for a long time. Are BWG a franchise of Spar? I’m not sure how that works.

its_steve116

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122955891#Comment_122955891

Edit: Glaceon beat me to it!

Dr Karl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122955891#Comment_122955891

The Irish franchise holder of Spar/Eurospar South African

https://spar-international.com/country/ireland/

Dunnes or Musgraves (Supervalu and Centra) are not small. Musgrave are Irish, but isn't the holding company for Dunnes based in the Isle of Man?

Alot of Irish people have had senior management positions in Tesco plc, the current CEO is from Cork. When they purchased Quinnswork the then CEO was of Irish decent.

The current CEO of Lidl France is Irish.

Just because a business is Irish doesn't mean it benefits it Irish customers or employees. Why should someone buy something made abroad for 10% or 20% more in a smaller retailer than in a larger supermarket.

Magiie

BWG Foods is the the Irish company running the Spar and Eurospar brands in Ireland. BWG Foods were purchased by Spar South Africa a number of years back but on the condition the profits stay in Ireland. This is why BWG Foods have been able to invest heavily in the Irish market.

Lidl are a German company with ALL profits exported back to Germany. Aldi the same.

Tesco do the same as Lidl and Aldi except they send their profits to the UK.

Both might employ Irish people in Senior roles but so do many large corporations across the globe.

The biggest issue in Ireland is that a lot of people seem to think that just because a company like Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and the same can be said of Dunnes are bigger, they have to be better on price. That is in fact a long way from the truth.

You also need to consider the fact that the majority of people employed in the grocery sector are employed in small retail business, whether they are independent or Symbol stores. Without those stores the country would crumble and prices would be much higher than they are now due to the intense need for more tax to pay unemployment benefits.

Local small retailers give great support to local clubs, charities, schools and events. The bigger corporations mentioned above do none of this and only do national sponsorship that give them maximum exposure.

Keeping the profits in Ireland through REAL IRISH businesses is the best and only route for our economy to be self sufficient and not rely on FDI's and jobs from foreign stores.

Anyone thinking otherwise has a different agenda.

Hotblack Desiato

The biggest issue in Ireland is that a lot of people seem to think that just because a company like Tesco, Lidl, Aldi and the same can be said of Dunnes are bigger, they have to be better on price. That is in fact a long way from the truth.

The alternative to the above is SuperValu, Spar/Eurospar, Centra, etc etc which are all substantially more expensive

Your posts are bizarre.

Without those stores the country would crumble and prices would be much higher than they are now due to the intense need for more tax to pay unemployment benefits.

Like I said, your posts are bizarre. Ireland is at full employment, the people on the dole aren't interested in / capable of holding down a job. They shouldn't be on JSA if that's the case, but that's another story.

Magiie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122957429#Comment_122957429

They might sound bizarre but also very truthful. This country might as well be part of the UK or Germany because so many people are giving them their money anyway. At least if we were under their rule, we wouldn't have to deal with spongers taking the hard workers money through taxes.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122951504#Comment_122951504

Correct Dunnes still have a dedicated off licence in Cornelscourt but the full range is also available in the main supermarket. During covid they were using it as a "convenience store" to sell a limited range of groceries so people didn't have to queue.

Not sure why they've kept it used to have two floors until the revamp in 2016/17. Beer was on the ground floor wine on the top floor iirc and it had a wider range than in the supermarket.

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122967618#Comment_122967618

Cornellscourt also has “baby Dunnes” about 500m down the road which has an express concept store as well as a small off-licence.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969059#Comment_122969059

Yes I'm very aware of it as I live not far from there. It was formerly the Magic Carpet pub. Thought it was madness when it first opened but seems to be doing very well now.

littlefeet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122969085#Comment_122969085

The parking in Dunnes Cornlscourt is nuts. I can see why the pair down Dunnes near by does well.

supereurope

Where was the Quinnsworth on Mary St? Can't recall it at all - was it part of the Penney's (both ABF-owned) or was it where the Lifestyle Sports is now? Or on a site incorporated into the Jervis SC?

Think it was there until the early/mid-1990s, and might not have been a supermarket but a "House & Home" store.

its_steve116

Apart from Kilkenny, which other counties never had a Quinnsworth or Crazy Prices-branded store?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123003933#Comment_123003933

1986 street directory has Quinnsworth and Lifestyle in 20-21. This seems to have been between M&S and the Jervis Hospital so now part of Jervis SC.

Current Lifestyle is 40, which was a TV rental shop and possibly the front of the Mary Street Arcade then.

supereurope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123029684#Comment_123029684

Thanks - thought it might have been where the Lifestyle is now. There was an early Power supermarket on Mary Street, I'm guessing the Quinnsworth was on the site of that shop.

Tony EH

What if Tesco hadn't bought Quinnsworth?

Vader would still be getting his special deal on Star Wars toys.

But Tesco wouldn't play ball, so he blew up Alderaan.

supereurope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123026751#Comment_123026751

Just Roscommon and Leitrim I think. And Monaghan just scraped in - Quinnsworth opened there in December 1996, the last Quinnsworth to open before the takeover.

Moonbeam

It introduce us to big supermarkets like they had in France where you could literally buy anything, but it is a pity it was sold as it was an irish family owned supermarket chain and not a huge big foreign chain.

I remember the crazy prices in Finglas and you could get the Crazy Prices bus there.

supereurope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123063392#Comment_123063392

Quinnsworth was only Irish-owned until 1972. That's when it was bought by Power Supermarkets, which was owned by Associated British Foods, which was ultimately owned by the Weston family of Canada.

3d4life

"….Weston family of Canada"

If you hunt around t'internet I think you will find that some of them 'lived' in Ireland ( i.e. perm address ) back then.

I have a recollection of some subsequent deaths :(

…… time gathers us all …. :(

The Weston family member that I really liked was the guy in England ( so probably in the ABF part of the empire ) who was fixing his lawnmower when some reporter turned up to interview him :) ( twas a good while ago )

Are Penney / Primark still part of the Weston empire ?

Penneys was driven from nothing to a global fashion chain by Arthur Ryan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ryan)

L1011

Primark is still part of ABF.

supereurope

Never forget what Tesco took from us.

thesandeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123241084#Comment_123241084

A lad I worked with used to just fill the pizza box with the ham and weigh it out. He claimed it worked out cheaper than buying it from the meat counter 😜.

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123241786#Comment_123241786

Dunnes still do these pizza. Oddly great.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123241084#Comment_123241084

It's worse than Cromwell.

its_steve116

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123063373#Comment_123063373

I think the company is more successful as Tesco Ireland now than it ever was as Quinnsworth.

Unfortunately.

Hotblack Desiato

Quinnsworth was a much nicer place to shop in, you weren't ripped off with "offers" which are nothing of the sort, i.e. normal price if you use Clubcard, double if you don't; multi-buy offers which actually work out dearer, etc.

I avoid Tesco as much as possible