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Morton’s of Ranelagh
80 Years A Growing! Gary Morton, MD of Morton’s, is justifiably proud of the store’s reputation for quality.
Morton’s of Ranelagh in Dublin is celebrating 80 remarkable years in business.
MORTON’S of Ranelagh began life in the 1930s, when bicycles were the normal mode of transport. It was on a bicycle that Charles Morton used to make his way to the Fish Market in Smithfield, where the fish was delivered by horse and cart. Now we have bus and taxi apps to help get us from A to B, the Millennial generation is about to enter its 30s and while there are still a lot of bicycles around, some of them have been branded by large multi-national companies. Morton’s too has changed greatly during the 80 years since it opened. However, some core, fundamental values have not changed in this family owned and operated business. Nor has the business ever lost sight of the importance of the local community in its success and the role it must play in that community.
Strong Community Identity As a fully independent shop, Morton’s has built up an incredibly strong identity in the Dublin 6 area. It sits squarely at the heart of the relatively affluent Ranelagh/ Rathmines community and it provides its customers with the right product, in the right way at the right price. Retail News spoke to Gary Morton, MD of Morton’s, who explained how the Morton’s name has become synonymous with the best possible quality and service: “Obviously, the shop built up slowly over time. We grew along with the community and evolved as it evolved,” Gary revealed. “It’s a slightly strange thing when your name is over the door of your business: when the work day ends you still carry that name with you, out into your personal life. It makes it even more important to ensure your business conducts itself admirably.” To that end, Morton’s acquits itself very admirably. The interior of the shop is immaculate. Warm and inviting, every single part of the shop has been tailored to create the ideal backdrop to display the quality produce on offer. From Café 21, a small but perfectly formed add-on for customers where they can enjoying fine coffee alongside mouthwatering treats, baked fresh each day in-store, through to the extremely impressive and recently upgraded wine presentation, the store looks great and each section serves the same purpose: to display the real star of the show - the product. Top quality is ubiquitous in Morton’s, from James Lawlor’s butcher to Sheridan’s fishmonger, down to items as small as the own brand orange juice, made from 100% freshly squeezed oranges, and the breathtaking array of cheese, meat, cakes, breads, pies and pre-prepared meals. There is even a full florist service in-store.
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Morton’s of Ranelagh Ger Ellis, who he describes as an “exceptional asset that we have and he works incredibly hard running the shop”.
Fishmonger, Alan Cashin, displays the fine fresh fish on offer in Morton’s.
Morton’s seeks out and attracts hard-working, passionate and enthusiastic staff who are brand ambassadors for the store’s quality products.
Entering Another World Crossing the threshold of Morton’s is like stepping into another world, a million miles away from the graband-go culture of Dublin city centre. Morton’s of Ranelagh is an experience; it’s all about savouring the atmosphere and the product. The shop offers regular instore tastings, and the staff are not just well trained but passionate about the product, from fine wine to coffee or cheese. Morton’s seeks out and attracts hard-working,
passionate and enthusiastic people. On the shop floor, they are brand ambassadors. “We do engage in a lot of staff training but you can’t really train things like passion,” admitted Gary. “We have really excellent staff here. We seek out excellent members of staff and we work hard to retain them: they are absolutely critical to what we do. Some staff have worked here for 30 years and the average is close to 10 years.” He pays particular tribute to store manager,
A Reputation For Quality Quality, and not price, has always been Morton’s USP, and remains so. “We cannot be discounters on price because we do not use that business model,” Gary explains. “Our point of differentiation is quality: we connect our customers directly with the quality ingredients we use and to the network of top quality suppliers with which the business has formed extremely strong partnerships over the years. Value for money is critical, but given the quality of our offering, we must use a higher price point.” Given its scale, the shop can offer some attractive price point deals: round euro pricing of €1 on items such as milk, eggs and bread are popular with customers. With 80 years of family experience behind it, the Morton’s brand seems to get the balance right. While Morton’s is a fully independent retailer, it has a very strong working relationship with ADM Londis. The on-site kitchen really is the icing on the cake of the Morton’s model, helping the business simply to offer an incredible portfolio of own branded product that has made it synonymous with quality in Dublin 6. The kitchen runs an early-only cycle, so that everything in-store is absolutely fresh on the day. The Ranelagh
on-site kitchen also acts as a production facility for the nearby Hatch St store, opened by Morton’s in 2008. Morton’s has grown and evolved at the heart of the Dublin 6 community. The world has changed dramatically in the 80 years since it opened its doors, but in some very fundamental ways, people have not changed so very much, and that is why Morton’s is still right at the heart of the community it loves.
A Brief History Of Morton’s 1934 Morton’s Fish and Veg Shop is established by Charles and Esther Morton. 1953 Albert Morton opens a grocery shop on the corner of Dunville Avenue and Moyne Road. 1960s Charles and Esther Morton, along with sons Albert and Charles, combine their shops to create C. Morton & Sons. 1985 Morton’s expand the store and introduce a kitchen for homecooked meals. 2007 Further expansion brings the kitchen upstairs above the store, and adds Cafe21. 2008 Morton’s open a store in the vaults of the old Harcourt Street Railway Station, at Park Pllace, Hatch Street, Dublin 2. 2014 Morton’s celebrate 80 years in business.