The Food Store is an Award Winning family-run artisan store comprising of Butchery, Bakery & Deli, with freshly prepared produce available in store every day.The store is located in Claremorris, Co Mayo and has been established since 1988 and continues to grow from strength to strength under the ownership and expertise of the proprietors Niall and Attracta Heffernan.
“When I opened in 1988 it was a dreadful time to start a business. I got turned down by three banks. I was a one man operation and I was told I wouldn’t last a year. That was 29 years ago and now I’m employing 38 people,” says Niall Heffernan, the pride in his success unmistakable.
The Food Store opened for business on March 18, 1988 as Niall Heffernan Meats. Niall’s family had been involved as butchers in his native Ballina since 1900 but Niall moved away from the traditional victualer of that time.
“We provided beef, lamb and pork but we differed from the usual butchers in how we prepared the meat, how we displayed it and the cuts we did. We tried to be innovative. We looked all around the world for inspiration, to give people something different.”
In 1998 Niall and his wife Attracta rebranded their business as The Food Store in a bid to move away from the idea that they were simply a butcher shop. Niche grocery products, locally sourced meat, fruit and vegetables and fresh baked goods made on site are all on sale. It was after a complete re-branding by Design Hub and new look store courtesy of the fititout team that The Food Store really came into it’s own winning multiple awards including the prestigious Retail Excellence Store of the Year.
“Perfection is what is important to us. We strive for that not only in the quality of our products but in our service. We’re never going to be at a stage where we are completely satisfied, we always want to move forward. We’re always looking at ways we can do this because to stand still is to go backwards.”