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STORE PROFILE
A jewel in the crown
Owner of Broderick’s Spar in Croom, Co. Limerick, Padraig Broderick caught up with Julia O’Reilly to discuss revamps, social media, and the importance of a good team
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adraig Broderick is the proud owner of Spar Croom in Co. Limerick. Known as a shop ‘full of character and characters’, the Spar has stood on the main street of Croom village for the past 40 years. Broderick has been there for 18 of those years. “The shop has always been a community hub in Croom,” says Broderick. “It’s got a long history. A lot of our team were there well before me, and they’re still here. They bring a wealth of experience and loyalty – something that is often overlooked nowadays.”
Loyal team Broderick is certainly not one to overlook loyalty. When ShelfLife recently caught up with Broderick to discuss his store’s revamp, what immediately became apparent was how much he appreciates his team. “I wouldn’t have been able to make such a big investment into the shop if I didn’t have such a strong team working with me,” says Broderick. “I’m really lucky to have them. The knowledge they have, the loyalty, you can’t buy that.” Led by manager Micheal Mackessy, the 47 strong team has approximately 20-full time members of staff. Following the store’s expansion, twelve more team members were welcomed into the fold.
Throughout Covid-19, retailer Padraig Broderick says he’s been impressed by how well the team at Spar Croom has looked out for each other
STORE PROFILE
Address: Broderick’s Spar, Croom Main Street, Tooreen, Croom, Co. Limerick Staff: 47 staff with approximately 20-full time members Size: 6,725sq ft Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 7.30am – 10pm
Wealth of experience
Seamless process
“We have a huge wealth of experience in our fresh team,” says Broderick. “Our whole team has been a huge part of the success of the store. Their positivity is infectious. It can be felt once you come into the shop. Micheal himself is a qualified butcher and has a real love of fresh food.” Throughout Covid-19, Broderick says he’s been impressed by how well the team has looked out for each other. “We were so busy,
While the revamp of the 6,725sq ft site was a year in the making, Broderick says it was a relatively seamless process. “We’re a very busy store, and we only got busier during Covid-19. We were conscious not to interfere with that business too much. Our solution was to do the work on just one section of the store at a time. It was a very clean process and ultimately, there was no interruption to customers. It may have taken a bit longer to do the renovation
The extensive in-store bakery has received an overwhelmingly positive response from customers
ShelfLife December 2021 | www.shelflife.ie
but there was obviously a lot of uncertainty. Thankfully our team worked so well together that we were able to get through those really tough times and go straight into the renovation.” Broderick’s team had an active role in the store’s recent renovation process. “A lot of them brought ideas forward in the planning stage. It was a full team-effort and they’ve loved seeing the results now that it’s complete. Really, the new store is testament to how valuable the Croom team are.”
Retailer Padraig Broderick describes the store as having “a fresh, modern, new look, with sweeping high ceilings and exposed steelwork”
