MBTAs: Who will be named Best Family Business?
Fourth generation led store never loses its identity
Topline Murtaghs
About…
Topline Murtaghs is a one-stop-shop for DIY, Home, Garden & Building needs with stores located in Ashbourne County Meath and Dublin 4.
Topline Murtaghs first opened its doors in 1887 and is still family owned and is now headed by Colin Murtagh who represents the fourth generation to lead the business. His children Patrick and Ella also work there.
Murtaghs started trading in Middle Abbey Street in the late 1800s as a corn and grain merchants. It later moved to Blackhall Street, Dublin before expanding to Ashbourne, Co. Meath.
Through many booms and busts, Murtaghs has always adapted, yet retains its identity as the local hardware store with the products and advice to guide their customers to get the job done with confidence. It has a 20-strong team who have worked their way through an incredibly busy year with great spirit.
The business goal is to future proof the business for the next generation of Murtaghs and keep pace by investing in staff, online, digital strategy, technology, buildings, plant and equipment; while watching trends, listening and visiting other stores in the sector.
Lessons learned from the last 18 months
The pandemic initially hit Murtaghs hard, but customer and staff safety came first. It closed its doors in March 2020, pivoting quickly to enable orders for Home Delivery or Click & Collect through its new website www.murtaghs.ie. Covid has been a catalyst for a transformation in customer communications and service, a brand refocus and store and market expansion. It also opened a dedicated shop for trade customers, stocking all the main trade brands and providing a separate offering of products and services
'Let our family look after your family'
The Snailbox
About…
The Snailbox opened its business in 1999 in Kilmoon, off the N2 outside Ashbourne. It is family-run with its trademark being 'let our family look after your family.' This has been its firm belief and it lives by this on a daily basis. The Snailbox staff are part of this ethos, and part of the Snailbox family with most working there from day one.
The ambition is simple - The Snailbox has been part of history for over 100 years and has always been a family run affair and the current owners wish to carry on that tradition for many years to come.
The team are often asked where it gets its name. The area where it is located is called Kilmoon, which was originally common ground, and in 1846, a man travelling on the road, by the name of James Clark (a hedge school teacher known locally as Jem, who carried his home on his back) decided to set up this home on this piece of land.
Over a period of time, he built a wall around his home, from local stone, which can still be seen on the premises to this day. As time went on the local landowners tried to have him removed from the commonage but failed. Eventually they took a court action against him, but the judge of the day likened Jem to snail - He carries his home on his back and wherever he decides to stop shall be his home.
Lessons learned from the last 18 months
Everyone has learned a lot from Covid but especially that family and health is everything and always will be.
Innovation and quality the key to survival
Finnegan’s Farm
About…
E Finnegan & Sons is a 5th generation family run farming business based in Balrath which is now run by brothers Paul and Joe Finnegan. The business was first set up in the 1970s by their father Eddie. Back then as an agricultural contractor, Eddie focused mainly on silage, tillage and hedge cutting. Along with his wife Marie, Eddie worked day and night expanding the business from an initial base of 13 acres to a substantial 250 acre farm.
Potatoes are the backbone of the business and as a result they travel the roads of many different counties in Leinster to source the best land available for their 500 acre crop.
They grow, pack and distribute over 10,000 tonnes of potatoes to Dunnes Stores nationwide every year and also grow and pack brussels sprouts for Dunnes Stores for the Christmas season. E Finnegan & Sons employees 27 people. At the end of 2014, Finnegan's set up a new business called Finnegan's Farm and launched a new innovative range of chilled potato products onto the market.
The kitchen production facility has recently been expanded to c.10,000 sq ft which was officially opened on the 7th of October 2021.
Lessons learned from the last 18 months
The demand for products has increased by 30% due to the introduction of Finnegan's new product range and also due to a change in consumer eating habits during Covid 19.
Finnegan’s are very proud of the fact that they were able to create employment during the pandemic introducing additional staff over the past 12 months. Their kitchen expansion means that Finnegan's now have the capacity to produce double their requirement with the scope to produce up to 150,000 trays of produce a week.