Tirlán has announced that it has reopened its farmer-owned cooperative – CountryLife, in Athboy, Co. Meath – after a major revamp.
Having expanded to include a garden centre and a store extension of an additional 6,100 square feet, hundreds of new agricultural, horticultural, pet and household product lines are now on offer to customers in an appealing environment.
Car-parking at the site has also been increased, with two new electric car-charging points added.
Cutting the ribbon and officially opening the branch, which serves Tirlán suppliers and the wider public in the Meath and Louth area, chairperson John Murphy said that the investment clearly demonstrates the cooperative’s promise to continue to invest in rural Ireland and improve vital services in the communities that it serves.
“Meath is Tirlán’s sixth-biggest supplier of milk, with €134 million of the €1.9 billion we paid to milk suppliers in our catchment area going to farm families in the county, which has huge benefits for the local economy,” Murphy said.
Transformation Plans
“The Athboy investment is part of Tirlán’s plans to transform its branch network and achieve a completely new look to meet the evolving needs of the towns, villages, and rural communities we operate in,” said Darren Kelly, store manager.
“We’ve been hugely grateful to the surrounding community for their support since we opened our new garden centre earlier this year. I’m proud to lead the team here in the store, to continue to ensure we can act as a heartbeat for the local community,” Kelly added.
“We’re also delighted to have increased our staff numbers to 13 as a result of this increased investment.”
Investment Programme
“For Tirlán, as an Irish, 100% farmer-owned co-op, our landmark retail channel investment programme is part of a range of measures to future-proof our agri, retail and garden centre services in rural communities across 12 counties,” said Senan Foley, head of retail at Tirlán.
“This major investment clearly demonstrates our promise to play a key role in supporting local jobs and rural economies. The needs of farmers, customers and the communities, of which we are part, of are evolving,” Foley commented.
“Many rural communities have lost their post office or other vital services. In many instances, these services are now incorporated into our branch network, to ensure Tirlán delivers on its promise of creating a modern network of stores that meet current and future demands across all of our communities across 12 counties.”
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