Dunnes Stores

Dunnes Stores is a chain of supermarkets and clothing stores based in the Republic of Ireland.

Marketing

The chain mainly sells food, clothing and household items. In addition to its main customer base located in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, this chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain. The format of the chain's stores is very similar to that used by the British company Marks and Spencer, with a food supermarket operating alongside a clothing and household goods store. The food division operates only in Irish stores. In any case, some stores sell only textiles, while others (less frequent) have only the supermarket. The company is famous for its low-cost brandSt. Bernard, although in recent years it has been displaced by the Dunnes Stores brand in clothing items.

History

The chain was founded in 1944 in Cork by Ben Dunne, Snr, as a clothing store. The food division began in the 1960s. The company opened the first Irish shopping center outside the city center in Cornelscourt, Co. Dublin, in 1968.

The company is mainly known for the lockout/strike from 1982 to 1986. Members of the IDATU (the trade workers' union) refused to work with products from South Africa, where the Apartheid regime still ruled. None of the factions involved relented and the dispute did not end until the Irish government declared imports from South Africa illegal.

Property

The company does not appear on public listings - it is controlled by a family trust. It is not a private company limited by shares, therefore it has no accounting files, but it also does not have limited liability. Ben Dunne (junior) held the company's top position for quite some time, until he was involved in a drug and prostitution affair in 1992, which led to an internal dispute forcing his resignation. Currently two of his siblings, Frank Dunne and Margaret Heffernan, are in charge of the company.

The Dunne family, owners of the company, are among the richest people on the Island of Ireland. Margaret Heffernan, for example, is the second richest woman in Ireland with an estimated net worth of 603 million Euros according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2006.

The company is in the process of transitioning to the next generation of the Dunne family, both Margaret Hefferman and Frank Dunne are transferring, in phases, their shares in the company to their children.

Competitors

Dunnes Stores' main local competitors in the supermarket business are, Tesco Ireland, SuperValu, and Superquinn. In clothing, its rivals include Penneys (Primark), Marks and Spencer, Arnotts, and Roches Stores.

Presence in Spain

Dunnes Stores has a small presence in Spain, specifically in the province of Málaga, where there are four stores spread over different points: Málaga (Centro Comercial Larios Centro), Fuengirola (C.C.Las Rampas), Mijas and Vélez-Málaga (C.C.El Ingenio).