Quinnsworth
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 | |
| Company type | Limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retailing |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founder | Pat Quinn |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by Tesco (1997) |
| Successor | Tesco Ireland |
| Headquarters | , Ireland |
Number of locations | 88 supermarkets |
Area served | Ireland |
Key people | Maurice Pratt (Chief Executive) |
| Products | Grocery |
| Parent | Power Supermarkets Ltd[1] |
Quinnsworth was a supermarket chain that operated in Ireland from 1966 to 2001. During its time in operation, it grew to be one of Ireland's leading retailers, with approximately one quarter of the grocery market in the Republic of Ireland, and some 88 supermarkets across the island of Ireland, including its Crazy Prices brand operated at some of its larger outlets. It was acquired by UK chain Tesco in 1997, with its supermarkets being gradually rebranded as Tesco Ireland over the following four years.
Quinnsworth was founded by Leitrim-born Pat Quinn. Quinn had worked as General Manager of the H Williams supermarket chain and had proposed that the chain open a supermarket in the Stillorgan Shopping Centre. H Williams rejected the proposal, and Quinn decided to open a supermarket there himself in December 1966, which became the first shop in the Quinnsworth chain.[2][3][4] By 1971, Quinnsworth had grown to six shops and had a turnover of IR£6 million.[2] It opened its first supermarket outside of Dublin at Douglas, Cork in December 1971.[5]
In 1972, the business, which by then had seven supermarkets (in Ballymun, Dundrum, Rathfarnham, Douglas, Wilton, Galway and Shannon), was acquired by Power Supermarkets Ltd, which in turn was owned by the Weston family and controlled the rival chain, Power's Supermarkets. The Power's supermarkets were rebranded under the Quinnsworth name.[6][7][8]
Acquisitions
During the 1970s, the company was acquired by Associated British Foods plc.[2] During that period, it used the slogan "Let's get it all together at Quinnsworth". It was one of the leading supermarket chains in Ireland in terms of turnover, and by 1978, it had 41 outlets, rising to 43 outlets in 1979 .[9][10] It acquired rival chain Five Star, which had 26 outlets, for IR£5 million in 1979.[11][12]
By 1981, following the acquisition of Five Star, Quinnsworth had 71 supermarkets. That same year, the business announced that it intended to close 7 of its 31 supermarkets in Dublin (in Baggot Street, Blackrock, Dolphin's Barn, Finglas, Killester, Ranelagh and Rosemount). The Irish Association of Distributive Trades criticised this development as "clear proof that the supermarket giants have now achieved monopolistic control of the Dublin grocery market" and that the takeover of Five Star by Quinnsworth should not have been permitted. Quinnsworth responded by citing size limitations and a modernisation programme, and countered that it was carrying out a major expansion of its Rathfarnham supermarket that year, and that it intended to open a shopping centre in Artane, to extend its Ennis and Wexford shops, and to open new supermarkets in Tullamore and Navan in 1982. It contended that it had bigger and better outlets near the closing shops, including on Upper Baggot Street, where the acquired Five Star supermarket was located almost directly opposite the existing Quinnsworth outlet.[13]