Dunnes Stores
Encyclopedia
Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket
and clothing retail
chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland
.
The chain primarily sells food
, clothes and household
wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland
, the chain has operations in Great Britain
and Spain
. The format of the chain's stores include a grocery supermarket
operating alongside a clothing/textiles store. The grocery operation only operates in Irish stores and some Northern Irish stores, although some limited grocery ranges can be found in the Spanish stores. However some stores contain only textiles, while some (more rarely) contain only a supermarket.
Many products are sold under the St. Bernard brand.
Early ads for the Patrick Street store emphasised Ben Dunne's promise of 'Better Value' which was emblazoned on the side of the building.
Following on the success of Patrick Street, a second store opened on the North Main Street of Cork in 1947. This was followed by openings in Waterford, Mallow, Limerick and Wexford. The first store in Dublin opened in Henry Street in 1957. This was followed by a 'super-store' in South Great Georges Street in 1960. Advertisements boasted that this was a personal choice store with assistants behind every counter; but where the customer did not need to ask for certain items - they were on the counter where they could be easily examined. Up until this time, the whole idea in retail in Ireland was to protect the goods from the public. This concept was turned on its head with the idea that people look and buy when they see others doing so and that customers should be able to see and 'feel' the products on sale.
Grocery was introduced in the 1960s - only in a small way initially. It started with boxes of apples and oranges. Fruit was very expensive at that time and Ben Dunne gained a reputation of selling good value fruit.
By 1965 the business had grown dramatically with nine stores in Dublin. However, 95% of the business was in drapery. Ben Dunne's next venture was to change the direction of the business. In 1966 he viewed two disused factory units in the Dublin suburb of Cornelscourt
and built an out-of-town shopping centre.
The Company continued to grow and the first Dunnes Stores in Northern Ireland opened in Bangor in 1971. This was followed by the acquisition of a chain of eleven grocery stores which came on the market in 1978.
The first venture outside Ireland
was in Spain on the Costa del Sol and there are now five stores in the South of Spain. The company’s 11 stores in England and Scotland are textile-only stores,
/strikes
of its retail workers.
, Dublin. This store is branded simply as Dunnes on external signage rather than "Dunnes Stores", as is the company's store at Citywest
, opened in September 2007. On 24 October 2007 Michael Heffernan confirmed that the company would be rebranding as simply "Dunnes".
As of 2011, many stores still have the old Dunnes Stores brand, and so does advertising.
, SuperValu
, Superquinn
and most recently Lidl
and Aldi
. In clothing, their rivals include Penneys
, Marks and Spencer, Arnotts
, and Debenhams Ireland. Dunnes concentrate more on clothes retail in the United Kingdom, meaning they do not generally compete directly with British supermarkets.
An attempted boycott was made on Dunnes due to reports of selling goods made in Burma.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
and clothing retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
The chain primarily sells food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
, clothes and household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the chain has operations in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The format of the chain's stores include a grocery supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
operating alongside a clothing/textiles store. The grocery operation only operates in Irish stores and some Northern Irish stores, although some limited grocery ranges can be found in the Spanish stores. However some stores contain only textiles, while some (more rarely) contain only a supermarket.
Many products are sold under the St. Bernard brand.
History
The Patrick Street store opened on the 31st March 1944, in Cork City. On opening day, such was the demand to shop at the new store, Gardaí were called to control the crowds of shoppers. The sheer pressure of the crowd forced a window in. No one was seriously injured.Early ads for the Patrick Street store emphasised Ben Dunne's promise of 'Better Value' which was emblazoned on the side of the building.
Following on the success of Patrick Street, a second store opened on the North Main Street of Cork in 1947. This was followed by openings in Waterford, Mallow, Limerick and Wexford. The first store in Dublin opened in Henry Street in 1957. This was followed by a 'super-store' in South Great Georges Street in 1960. Advertisements boasted that this was a personal choice store with assistants behind every counter; but where the customer did not need to ask for certain items - they were on the counter where they could be easily examined. Up until this time, the whole idea in retail in Ireland was to protect the goods from the public. This concept was turned on its head with the idea that people look and buy when they see others doing so and that customers should be able to see and 'feel' the products on sale.
Grocery was introduced in the 1960s - only in a small way initially. It started with boxes of apples and oranges. Fruit was very expensive at that time and Ben Dunne gained a reputation of selling good value fruit.
By 1965 the business had grown dramatically with nine stores in Dublin. However, 95% of the business was in drapery. Ben Dunne's next venture was to change the direction of the business. In 1966 he viewed two disused factory units in the Dublin suburb of Cornelscourt
Cornelscourt
Cornelscourt is a small suburban area of South Dublin, situated between Cabinteely and Foxrock. It has a mostly commercial rather than residential character and is best known for being the site of Ireland's first Big-box store, Dunnes Stores.-Geography:...
and built an out-of-town shopping centre.
The Company continued to grow and the first Dunnes Stores in Northern Ireland opened in Bangor in 1971. This was followed by the acquisition of a chain of eleven grocery stores which came on the market in 1978.
The first venture outside Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
was in Spain on the Costa del Sol and there are now five stores in the South of Spain. The company’s 11 stores in England and Scotland are textile-only stores,
Lockouts and strikes
The company is particularly known for the lockoutLockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
/strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
of its retail workers.
Rebranding
On 12 July 2007, the company opened a new flagship textiles-only store in Henry StreetHenry Street (Dublin)
Henry Street is located on Dublin's Northside and is one of the two principal shopping streets of Dublin , running from the Spire of Dublin and the General Post Office on O'Connell Street in the east to Liffey Street in the west...
, Dublin. This store is branded simply as Dunnes on external signage rather than "Dunnes Stores", as is the company's store at Citywest
Citywest
Citywest is a business park and golf resort in the Saggart area, just north and northwest of Saggart village in South Dublin. The nearest major town is Tallaght. The business park has developed a modest residential population in recent years...
, opened in September 2007. On 24 October 2007 Michael Heffernan confirmed that the company would be rebranding as simply "Dunnes".
As of 2011, many stores still have the old Dunnes Stores brand, and so does advertising.
New Headquarters
In 2007, Architect: Arthur Gibney & Partners designed a large commercial development which entailed the removal of some buildings and facade retention of several others, including the former Dunlop Factory on Stephen Street, and the Connolly Shoes building. The building has a dramatic corner atrium leading to an internal street through the development. The facade to George’s Street respects existing building heights.Competition
Dunnes' main domestic competitors in the supermarket business are Tesco IrelandTesco Ireland
Tesco Ireland is the Irish arm of supermarket group Tesco. It was formed in Tesco plc's 1997 takeover of the Irish retailing operations of Associated British Foods, namely Powers' Supermarkets Limited and its subsidiaries, trading as Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices.Tesco operates supermarkets under...
, SuperValu
SuperValu (Ireland)
SuperValu is a supermarket chain in Ireland and Spain, owned by the Musgraves wholesaler firm. Its headquarters is located in Cork and has stores across the entirety of Ireland.-Company structure:...
, Superquinn
Superquinn
Superquinn is an Irish supermarket chain. Until 2005, the company was entirely privately held by the Quinn family. It is now a subsidiary of Select Retail Holdings Limited....
and most recently Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
and Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
. In clothing, their rivals include Penneys
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
, Marks and Spencer, Arnotts
Arnotts (Ireland)
Arnotts is the oldest and largest department store in Dublin, Ireland. The company has two stores in Dublin. Its flagship store is located on Henry Street on the northside of the city centre, and there is a smaller store selling mainly shoes in an outlet in Stillorgan Shopping Centre in south...
, and Debenhams Ireland. Dunnes concentrate more on clothes retail in the United Kingdom, meaning they do not generally compete directly with British supermarkets.
Controversy
In September 2011, The Irish Independent found that Dunnes Stores is selling bra-and-knicker sets for three-to-six year old girls. Dunnes also has padded bras for girls with a 28 to 30-inch chest, which are the dimensions of nine-year-old girls.An attempted boycott was made on Dunnes due to reports of selling goods made in Burma.