National award for Ardnacrusha businessman

OVER two decades of hard work and innovation paved the way for an Ardnacrusha businessman to scoop the top gong at the country’s largest retail sector awards last weekend.
Instore managing director, Oliver Moloney was the toast of the retail sector after his furniture outlet at Stillorgan, Dublin was named National Store of the Year 2009 at the FBD Retail Excellence Ireland Awards.
He was presented with his award by Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan at a gala event held at the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny on Saturday night. Hosted by RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan, the awards ceremony was attended by 500 representatives of the retail industry in Ireland.
Instore was one of 13 recipients from across the country to scoop an award at the annual event, which seeks to recognise and reward high standards of excellence across the entire retail industry.
In addition to being judged Best Extra Large Store of the Year, Instore beat off stiff competition from Meteor, which received the second highest accolade after being announced Company of the Year 2009.
The chairman of Retail Excellence Ireland, Paul Candon, said the competition started with over 420 entries from all over the country so it was a big honour to have received any one of the 13 awards.
“Instore was awarded top prize because they accentuate all the basic principles of retailing: excellent customer service standards, consistent performance and outstanding store display and design. It has been a challenging year for retailers so I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the store owners, managers and staff on their achievements,” he said.
Owner and founder of Instore, Oliver Moloney, told The Clare Champion he was “gobsmacked” and found it hard to speak after the announcement was made at the ceremony.
“It is a huge honour for me and my staff to have been named National Store of the Year from amongst our peers, not least of all because these past 12 months have been especially tough for Irish retailers and the conditions have really tested our mettle.
“At Instore, we are still committed to the same philosophy that we started out with 21 years ago – that quality and design should include affordable furniture – and I believe that’s what will keep us in business for at least another 21 years.
He said it is a very hard competition to win. “Avoca won it last year, which is an indication of the high standard. It is great to win a competition like this and is a significant boost when you are dealing with suppliers all over the world,” he said.
“We spotted the downturn over 18 months ago, scaled back our production orders and adapted our product to meet the new market. Baseline figures have increased in November and December, which can be expected at this time of the year. The first four of five months of 2010 are likely to be extremely difficult as more people will lose their jobs and it will take some time to get confidence back into the banking sector,” he said.
Instore was founded by Mr Moloney in 1988. Headquartered in Limerick and employing over 85 people, there are seven shops around the country – two each in Limerick and Cork and one each in Waterford, Galway and Dublin.