One of the most often mentioned truths in business is that to survive and thrive you must adapt and evolve. The rate and direction of change is often driven by changes in the economic and social environment, and for more than 150 years the McDonogh business in Galway has been successful in adapting its business model to suit the customer needs of the day.
The newest venture for the Ballybane Industrial Estate based business is the launch of the Bathroom Studio, and like many new projects undertaken by McDonoghs over the years, director Matt Jennings reveals the decision to change emphasis has been influenced by customer need.
"We have done various things over the years to keep the business afloat, learned to adapt, to respond to what is happening around us in the economy, socially and in technology," he says. "Recently we invested and installed the new bathroom studio. It was opened two weeks ago and it is something that we hope will lift the business again and give us a new profile.
"The studio has been launched in conjunction with the Topline Group and is now one of the biggest and most modern in the west of Ireland with a complete range to suit all budgets. We are also offering a wide range of high quality tiles. We have always had a bathroom and plumbing department but this is a leap forward in terms of the standard and type of offering and products that we have for sale in this area.
"The team in the Bathroom Studio have the experience and training to take the customer through the options available and to find the right products for them. The showroom is laid out in pods to help the customer visualise how the various pieces would look in their own homes."
Coinciding with the establishment of the Bathroom Studio is the reopening of the newly revamped Stanley Centre. Having been long associated with the Waterford Stanley brand, Mr Jennings says the decision to remodel the Stanley Centre has been influenced by changes by the Waterford Stanley group and the move towards electrical products.
"We had a very big business in cookers and stoves which was mainly driven by the Waterford Stanley brand which has been in Ireland for generations. But with the move to greener energy there is not the same demand for cookers as there once was. Waterford Stanley themselves have been going through their own changes in response to the huge challenges in their sector. Having recently become part of the American Middleby Group, they are now set for a new era of innovation.
"The new Stanley Centre at McDonoghs is showing the full range of appliances from Stanley, including a number of new products like their electrical range of heaters in wall hung and insert models, as well as solid fuel and pellet stoves in new modern sleek designs. McDonoghs sells a full range of Stanley parts for current and older models in store or on the e-commerce website www.mcdonoghdirect.ie "
Surviving and thriving
Like a lot of businesses in the sector, the McDonogh Trade Centre in Ballybane went through a turbulent time following the economic crash a decade ago. The business adapted by increasing its emphasis on offerings for the householder while continuing to serve its trade customers. A garden centre was opened which has now become well established and successful, while other areas like the paint department have been expanded and improved. Mr Jennings believes McDonoghs is an excellent example of how a business does not need to necessarily specialise in one area to be successful.
"There are some who say you must specialise in something to be good at it but in McDonoghs we have areas which we have traded in for generations and in which we have considerable expertise , but as society and our environment changed we have managed to leverage that knowledge and experience to expand into other allied areas.
"When the building supplies part of the business dropped off around 2008/2009, we needed other planks to keep the business going and afloat. We had a small business doing seeds and plant chemicals so we decided to invest and launch a fully fledged garden centre, with a full range of typical garden centre products from plants, pots, chemicals and machinery to garden furniture and barbeques. It has become very successful and is now an important foundation stone of our business.
"The business prides itself on the ability to provide everything for the DIY enthusiast, not least the best of advice in selecting the right products for the job through the very experienced and knowledgeable staff. These days the logo includes the terms 'Trade, Home, DIY and Garden Centre' to encompass the range of products on offer. The business also uses the slogan “the original home of great value” to convey the message that one of the pillars of success over the long history of the business has been the ability to offer very competitive pricing. This will continue to be central to the strategy going forward as the business adapts and develops."
Lifeblood of the business
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But a business plan is only as good as the staff that implement it and Mr Jennings highlights the experience and knowledge of McDonoghs staff as absolutely key to their success.
"One of the main planks of McDonoghs is our staff. Staff are the lifeblood of any business and during the downturn when every business was making losses, the flexibilty of the staff was vital to McDonoghs surviving those tough times. We have been in Galway for many years and we have a lot of experienced staff which keeps people coming in. The knowledge of the staff is vital to the success of the business.
"Tradesmen want to have someone who can talk their language. They know what they want but they also sometimes want someone who can provide them with information on options if their first choice is not available. They need to trust the person who is selling them products.
"But knowledge of your trade and products is one thing every staff member needs. Having the personal touch to put customers at ease is just as important because it will keep them returning, and I believe that is where our team at McDonoghs' really excel."
Looking towards the future, you would be forgiven for thinking that McDonoghs would take some time to see how the Bathroom Studio and Stanley Centre perform but, according to Mr Jennings, there will be no resting on laurels as they look to continue to develop their online presence.
"Generally speaking the sectors in which the business operates has been slow to adopt e-commerce, he says. "However, the movement in this direction is relentless. To date the trend has been to research online and purchase offline. McDonoghs have a full e-commerce website, www.mcdonoghdirect.ie which offers a limited range of products for sale directly to the public.
"In addition the business supports another website www.mcdonoghdiy.ie which is hosted by the Topline Group. This latter site does not accommodate purchasing but provides detailed information on a wide range of products which allows customers to research products which can be purchased in store or on www.mcdonoghdirect.ie "
McDonoghs thanks its customers for their support over the years and looks forward to seeing them in the future.
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