Businessman invests in his Cootehill SuperValu store

“The sky is the limit when your heart is in it.†Although composed by a member of staff as a thought for the week that statement sums up the business philosophy of John Foy. John completed a expansion of his store in Cootehill and on Saturday with staff, family and friends he celebrated this milestone in his business career since he came to Cootehill 11 years ago. His SuperValu store at Market Street is a modern, retail food and household goods facility on the main street, and fitting neatly into the historic streetscape it extends backward to the new car park, representing a huge personal investment by John in Cootehill. Costing €500,000, this latest development has meant an expansion of the floor space from 16,000 to 18,000 square feet, creating an expanded fresh food area and new cake counter. The additional floor space has enabled John to further increase his range, all attractively displayed and easily accessible by customers. “We're going to be making fresh pizzas and retailing a new range of fresh cheese,†reveals John, who clearly loves forging ahead and rising to the new challenges of the current competitive times for retailing in general. “We have added six full-time staff in the last 10 weeks and we hope to take on another three or four in the near future as business lifts off.†Overall John's SuperValu has a staff compliment of 55, and is an important employer. A man who received his training from one of the masters of food retailing in Ireland, Fergal Quinn of Superquinn, John has no doubt that Irish based retailers like him have the skills, commitment and business acumen to give the customer best value for money. They have been doing that and will continue doing so, he says. He feels that stores such as his are stakeholders in their communities and he is always mindful of supporting local business wherever possible. He lists off firms from whom he purchases meat, cakes, vegetables... John is particularly strong in his praise for his customers who have supported him over the last 11 years and he mentions his staff in equally glowing terms. “I have to thank the people who made this happen,†he says, referring to his staff and also mentioning Stephanie O'Reilly, grocery manager, Charlene Gillespie, technical and finance manager, Rosaleen Fox, accountant, Mairead Mullen, the store's fresh food manager and Aisling McGibney, the in-house human resources manager. “Without those people and the rest of my staff I wouldn't have achieved what I have achieved in the last 11 years. The majority of them are with me a long time, some having started straight from school,†he says. Born in London, John returned to Ireland with his parents at a young age. Growing up in Dublin, he wasn't aware at that stage that he had roots in Cootehill. His great grandfather was from the town and his decision to establish his business there represented a coming home for him. In relation to the store renovation project, he thanks Kevin Lynch and his brothers, the main building contractors, Frank McDonald, electrical contractor, Tony Gorman, who did the tiling, painting contractor John Martin and his team, and Vincent Greenan, who did the carpentry. John says Cootehill has been good to him; he believes that if everyone has a positive attitude towards the town and business owners re-invest, success will come. He is president of the retail grocers association, RGDATA, and immediate past president of Cootehill Chamber. He extends special gratitude to his wife, Sharon, for her support for him in his business career, to his children Kelly, Ashley, Katie, Daniel and Samuel. “As a community Cootehill is good and if we all pull together and work together we will come through this recession and come back to the prosperous times we saw in the last 10 years,†he says.