Just two weeks after it opened the doors to its newly redeveloped Swinford store, Connacht Gold has announced that it will begin the expansion and upgrade of its Westport DIY and Garden Centre in May. A total of €1.5 million will be invested in the project by Connacht Gold and it will result in the creation of four to six new jobs for the town.
The building contract for the project, which will see a total revamp of the site, is currently out to tender and it is hoped the store will be trading by February 2012.
“This represents a significant financial commitment by Connacht Gold,” said Aaron Forde, Connacht Gold CEO. “We have steadily been building and developing our network of stores over the past number of years and the Westport upgrade is yet another step in this process.
“We are delighted to be in a position to invest this amount of money in the area and to create much-needed jobs in the west of Ireland. While agri customers continue to be a core part of our business, we want to keep widening our stores’ appeal across the region and attract a broader range of customer. Hopefully we have a good summer ahead and the stores will continue to contribute positively to the profitability of the company.”
The Connacht Gold store in Westport has been located at Lodge Road since it first opened its doors in 1989. The result of the investment will be a significantly expanded and fully modernised, 34,000sq ft DIY and garden centre offering the highest possible quality, range, display, product information and customer comfort.
The garden centre will be increased by 6,000sq ft to 8,000sq ft, the shop will increase from 4,000sq ft to 16,000sq ft and farming customers can look forward to a 10,000sq ft agri store, which will bring Connacht Gold’s entire farm supplies range under one roof.
To provide for its gardening customers in the meantime, Connacht Gold will operate a boutique garden centre on the premises of the Westport store which is now open. It will be manned by local horticulturalists Paul Kirwan and Suzanne Erskine, formerly of Treelands Garden Centre.
