Mace store profile

Ambition realised in Mace Culleens

Following a stunning renovation, Mace Cullens in Co. Sligo is currently outperforming in almost every category and delighting the local community with the range and value on offer

Mace Culleens is situated in an ideal location on the main Ballina-Sligo road

The realisation of a 20-year ambition of Mace retailers Liam and Mary Scott was a cause for celebration when they recently opened the doors on their sparkling new Hilltop Service Station forecourt and Mace store in County Sligo.

Planning permission to convert the site adjacent to a former dance hall into a shop and service station was given some years ago but due to a number of unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, ground was never broken. That’s all changed now and the site boasts a ground floor shop, storage area, office, solid fuel store and toilet facilities.

The service station also has a canopy for motorists, car parking and truck parking with a new one-way entrance and exit off the main Ballina-Sligo road.

Mace colour palette

As well as looking stunning following a dialling up of the traditional Mace colour palette, the 6,000sq ft store is outperforming in almost every category with retailers Liam and Mary Scott reporting a huge uptake in hot lunches and freshly baked goods. The store, which Liam and Mary took over some 23 years ago, is one of the first be treated to Mace’s new design concept. It is, as they attest, truly resplendent.

The 20-year dream was helped to fruition by Liam and Mary’s son, Shane, who doesn’t work in the store day-to-day but was the family’s defacto project manager in terms of ensuring the development stayed on target.

STORE PROFILE Retailer: Liam and Mary Scott Address: Mace Culleens, Hilltop Service Station, Co. Sligo Staff: 20+ staff led by shop manager Billy Cormack and deli manager Orlagh McKnight Size: 6,000 sq ft Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 7am – 11pm; Sunday 8am – 9pm

Local community

Mary took over the running of the original store from the previous owners, Tommy Joe Tuffy and his wife Molly who served the local community for 70 years, as Liam explains.

“My wife Mary is the retailer and has been trading here with the support of the family for the last 23 years,” he says. “Her knowledge of serving the local community, teamed with our shop manager Billy’s 35 years in retailing, gives us a solid foundation to offer a great place to shop.”

There is a rich and vibrant history to Mace Culleens in that there has been a general store and pub on the site since 1909. The Tuffy family were trading there for 70 years with Mary and Liam taking it on then and they immediately knew they wanted to expand but were delayed.

“Truly, the new store and service station has been a 20-year ambition of ours as the first plans were drawn up back in 2001,” Liam adds. “To be open finally still feels surreal. It’s great to know that the local community will be well served into the future.”

Employment

As well as Mary and Liam, Mace Culleens provides employment locally to more than 20

A tight-knit team of staff includes shop manager Billy Cormack and deli manager Orlagh McKnight

people with Billy Cormack the shop manager and Orlagh McKnight the deli manager. They’re a tight-knit team who revel in what they do and how they provide this vital service to the community.

The doors to the new store were opened towards the end of the second lockdown and just three weeks before the third lockdown so it’s been a challenging time.

“Lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions have impacted footfall for certain and we have scope for growth with the new store,” says Liam. “We have a strong local trade with top-up shoppers as well as passing trade from the N59. With our 24hr fuel offering, the excellent For Food Sake deli and abundance of parking we hope to attract more HGV drivers in the near future.”

Impact of Covid-19

Of course, Covid-19 will have an impact into the future and the design of the store has taken that into consideration.

“The final store design was heavily focused on opening in a Covid secure way. Everything from staff training to all our operating policies and procedures have been created to incorporate best practice in terms of providing a safe shopping and working environment.”

One of the major draws for the local customers is Mace Culleens’ fabulous bakery, overseen by deli manager Orlagh.

“Orlagh is a terrific baker,” Liam says. “She has a delectable array of treats, breads, tarts and pastries baked fresh every day and the customers love to come in and treat themselves.

“We offer a wide range of food options, our For Food Sake deli offers cooked breakfast options, four hot lunches including a roast of the day, hot snacks and pizza right up to 8pm daily. We also offer sandwiches, salads, sliced deli meats and a heat and eat range.

“We serve Insomnia coffee which has been a great partnership, it looks amazing in-store and tastes excellent. The hot chocolate has been a surprise star from our range of drinks.”

Design is critical

The design of the store is crucial in attracting and enticing customers once they are in-store – “People eat with their eyes first. People will spend more if they can see a premium product presented well” – and combining this with competitive pricing is crucial to the success of Mace Culleens.

What the trading environment will be when we are finally on the other side of Covid-19 is the unknown, but Liam and Mary are well prepared for whatever the future will bring, especially in the food offering.

“As we are a new food offering we built our menus through consultations with the BWG fresh food team as well as speaking to customers about what they wanted. For example, we did an afternoon tea box for Mother’s Day. It was so popular that it’s become a permanent offer and is even included in our outside catering menu.”

Loyalty

They are also confident that the loyalty built up over the years combined with a quality offering will guarantee the future of this vital part of Culleens’ locality and community.

“Customers come back because of the blend of great products, pricing and above all else a great service,” says Liam. “The store design, space and style are very important but the friendly service our team provides has been the real driver to our initial success and keeping customers coming back. It fills us with pride at the number of customers who make a point of telling us about the great service they have received from our team.”

The jewel in the crown of Mace Culleens is the new seating area. The colours, type of seats, wall décor and even the light have all been revamped and once the Covid-19 pandemic is behind them, Mace Culleens is set up to cater to all as well as even embarking on further expansion and development.

“Our immediate plans are around getting the full operation open, we have a large sitdown dining area and it’ll be great to get that open. We also have plans and space set aside to expand our alcohol offering into a full offlicence.”

The creation of Mace Culleens has not been without its challenges, especially given the tumultuous times we are living in, but Liam and Mary are delighted with their new Mace store and are confident for the future with plans for a big launch party for the local community once restrictions are lifted.

“It is a privilege to be part of our customers’ day, whether that’s a cup of coffee on their commute, bringing the kids in for an ice cream, picking up milk for the next day or just a welcome rest stop on their journey.

“We have been here for 23 years and we’re going to be here long into the future serving the community.” ■

Mace Culleens benefits from a strong local trade with top-up shoppers as well as passing trade from the N59