Based in Newcastlewest, Co Limerick, M & K Interiors Ltd is a specialist office fit-out company which services the greater Munster area. Building Ireland learned all about the family-run busines from its co-director, Frank Moore recently.
Business is good right now at M & K Interiors and the plan for founders Frank Moore and Sean King is to keep things that way as they near closer and closer towards an even decade-and-a-half since becoming a limited company.
Having first set-up in 1998, Frank and Sean have managed to create an excellent team, expertise and reputation that has customers coming back to them time and time again.
At the moment, M & K Interiors employs 15 full-time staff as the two brothers in law continue to grow their venture, which Frank describes as being “very much a family business”.
Indeed family businesses often turn out to be the best success stories of all and, as Frank told Building Ireland recently, it has been a case of so far, so good for M & K Interiors to date.
“Right now my daughter Una is our office administrator and looks after the finances as well,” he explained.
“My two sons Francis and Jason are on site for us and Sean’s son is also a carpenter with the company. Three of his nephews are fitters here too.”
So what exactly is it that this family outfit provides to its clients?
“I suppose you could say that we’re a one-stop shop for all middle to high end fit-outs,” Frank outlined.
“We work in partnership with office supply companies and our work would mainly bring us around the Munster region. There are certain clients that would bring us further north on occasion but most of our work is based around Munster.”
It’s all a far cry from M & K Interiors’ origins back in 1998, when two brothers in-law took a bold decision to go out on their own with a fit-out venture.
Prior to that, they’d worked together in both Dublin and Cork, gaining them some experience which proved essential in setting up this business.
“Myself and Sean first started working together with a company in Dublin back in the 80s and, with the way the economy was, things just got quiet,” Frank reflected.
“We started with a business down in Cork as labour only contractors afterwards and from there we got into supply and fit. We moved on after and I suppose the business that we set-up just built itself up through the years to where it is now.”
Today M & K Interiors has the capacity to deliver on its customers’ detailed specification or assist with the design of any office configuration.
They are experts when it comes to Partitions, Ceilings, Cubicles & Washrooms and can also provide a full office fit-out service.
Having a single supplier who can design, build and supply furniture is what sets M & K Interiors apart from other competitors out there and, according to their co-director, business is booming at the present time.
“Things are really good,” Frank beamed. “The last two years have been fantastic which is a very welcome turnaround to 07/08 when we got crucified, putting it honestly.
“We never folded though – we kept the business open during the downturn. The doors were always open here and we got on with it and now we’re seeing the benefit of that.”
He added: “We’re doing some sizeable enough projects for Fitzgibbon Builders and Dew Valley Foods in Thurles. We’re also working on Tralee Hospital for Mike Casey Construction and a few other projects for PBC and J & B O’Sullivan.”
So what has been the secret at M & K Interiors? How has a company which became limited just 15 years ago grown to become the success story it is today, with an excellent workforce and solid reputation.
Strange as it sounds, staying small has been key down through the years, according to Frank.
“I’d say it’s because of the size of our company,” he put it plainly. “We haven’t expanded it and the service that we give our clients; we feel it’s on a personal level. We can deal with each contractor personally.
“I’m not dealing with a lot of the larger companies and outside of some bigger clients, a lot of them would be friends of our as well.
“That’s the unique thing about us, I think, that and the fact that we actually train around 80 per cent of our own staff here.”
M & K Interiors is a company which is now well-known for providing the complete fit out package to it’s clientele; wall cladding, suspended ceilings, partitions, glazing, doors, carpets, floor covering, kitchens and office furniture are all on offer.
They can also provide the complete fit out from design to delivery and ensure a top class finish on time, meeting all clients’ requirements.
In the business 25 years, Frank and Sean have gained a wealth of experience and their company can offer cost effective solutions to suit every budget, supplying a large range of options and finishes to suit all needs.
Looking towards another year, Frank is keen for things to stay the same as M & K Interiors enters into its 15th year as a limited company.
“We’re hoping for more of the same here really. We’ve no real ambition to expand the company further to be honest. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” he concluded.
M & K Interiors,
Block D, Unit 4,
Desmond Business Pk,
Newcastlewest,
Co. Limerick
Tel: 069 78555
Mob: 087 260 2380
E-mail: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, October, Vol 5 No 10
