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STORE PROFILE
Without a hitch
Julia O’Reilly caught up with Arthur McGuire of McGuire’s Daybreak to discuss the store’s recent renovation, the importance of good staff, and the support he’s received from Musgrave through the years was a challenge to make ends meet for many years. We were trying to make repayments and develop the business at the same time.”
Tough times
Retailers Arthur and Bernadette McGuire say that the boost created by their recent renovation has been “just phenomenal”
F
or nearly 90 years, a shop on Raven Terrace, Galway City, has sold groceries to the locals and those that travel through the area. Enviably located just a stone’s throw from the Spanish Arch, the shop first came to be in 1935, when Arthur McGuire’s mother opened its doors. “She was just 17 years old at the time,” says McGuire, the owner of McGuire’s Daybreak. “It all started from there. My dad owned the pub next door, which was run as a separate business. I grew up around both businesses, and when I got married in 1980, I took over running the shop from my mother.” Those were trying times for small businesses owners, he says. “I tried to develop the business over the following years, and in 1983 I bought the pub that was next door to the shop. At the time, there were four buildings
STORE PROFILE
Retailer: McGuire’s Daybreak Address: 2 Raven Terrace, Galway, Ireland, Staff: 13; nine full-time and four part-time Opening hours: Monday – Sunday, 6.45am – 10pm
on the street, and three of them were pubs. Many years later, I was able to knock the two into its current form. “Things were really difficult for us at the time,” McGuire continues. “I was only 26 when I bought the pub. I borrowed £100,000 at a staggering 18.5% interest rate for the buying and renovating costs. That level of interest is unheard of in today’s climate. It
‘The Big Night In’ is an important sales occasion in-store, merchandised with on-trend signage reading, ‘Stay in, chill out and treat yourself to an old favourite’
ShelfLife August 2021 | www.shelflife.ie
Just as the going got tough for McGuire, Musgrave introduced an enticing proposition to retailers. “We were an independent store, and I loved being my own man,” he says. “But at the same time, I recognised that symbol groups were becoming a huge influence in Ireland. To bring your business to the next level, you had to be part of one of these groups.” When Musgrave introduced Day-Today to the market, offering retailers a chance to be part of a symbol group, while retaining significant control, McGuire grabbed it. “I never looked back, Musgrave really was a godsend to me,” he says. “The whole team has been absolutely phenomenal over the years in every aspect of our business. I have nothing but the highest of praise for all the Musgrave hierarchy, from the top down.”
Rapid renovation McGuire was particularly grateful for the work the Musgrave team put into his store’s recent revamp. A rapid-fire affair, the extensive renovation went off without a hitch thanks in part to meticulous planning on Musgrave’s end. “On 28 February 2021, we closed our doors at half six and we opened them again on
The 9 Grams coffee concept is performing well, despite stiff competition for coffee sales within the local area
