Cooney’s Homevalue came up trumps at United Hardware’s 2023 United in Excellence Awards when scooping both the Best Merchant Store in Connacht and Best Merchant Store in Ireland awards. Emmet Cooney provides Building Ireland with an insight into this exceptional fourth-generation chain of builder’s merchants stores which has been literally delivering the goods to the construction trade for more than a century.
Recognising and celebrating best-in-class offerings, standards and customer service across the hardware sector, the 2023 United in Excellence Awards night was hosted in Mount Wolseley Hotel Spa & Golf Resort, Carlow on Thursday, October 12th. Michael Cooney & Sons Ltd. Homevalue – which comprises five stores in counties Roscommon, Mayo and Galway – was one of the big winners on the night, taking home the Best Merchant Store in Connacht and Best Merchant Store in Ireland awards.
A co-operative with 160 member stores trading independently under the Homevalue brand, with combined sales of €300m, United Hardware is the most successful buying group in Ireland for independent builders, plumbers, hardware and timber merchants. Their annual awards night is one of the most prestigious on the calendar and Emmet Cooney was thrilled that Cooney’s Hardware (Michael Cooney & Sons Ltd.) went home with not one but two trophies.
“We’re absolutely delighted to get this recognition for the hard work being put in on a daily basis by all of our team. As far as I’m concerned, these awards are for our team. We have five stores and over 50 employees and each of them contributes in a big way to the success of the company.
“These awards remind us how fortunate we are to have such great staff. They are experienced, knowledgeable and friendly and they are the ones responsible for driving Cooney’s Homevalue forward,” said Emmet.
With branches in Tibohine, Frenchpark; Main Street, Elphin; Main Street, Castlerea (all Roscommon) and Bawnmore, Athenry (Galway) and Crossmolina Road, Ballina (Mayo), Cooney’s Homevalue is renowned as one of Connacht’s premier providers of building materials, hardware, homeware, DIY products, and paints and accessories.
When dealing with the trade and the general public on a one-on-one basis every day, it all comes down to customer service – an area in which Cooney’s Homevalue excels! “We work hard with our customers and do our very best to offer them quality products, a swift delivery service. Customers are looking for value for money and we strive to always provide it in the construction, agri and DIY sides of the business.”
Cooney’s Homevalue is an integral part of the construction, agri and DIY landscape not just in Frenchpark, where it all began in the early 20th century, but across the province and further afield. “The business is over a century old, having been started by my great-grandfather, Michael, in Tibohine more than 100 years ago,” Emmet confirms. “We opened the stores in Athenry and Elphin in 1990 and ’91 respectively, before starting in Castlerea in 2008 and Ballina in 2012.
“In terms of the customer base and catchment area, we have a good reach, covering all of Connacht and into the midlands as well.“
Cooney’s Homevalue is today overseen by brothers Brendan (Emmet’s father) and Gerard and Padraic Cooney. As for the winning formula, which has seen them evolve into the builder’s merchants of choice in Connacht and beyond as well as triumphing at the 2023 United in Excellence Awards, Emmet reiterates: “Customers want good products, good service and a good price. We strive to offer excellent-quality products and service, with an unrivalled delivery service, all at the best-possible price to give the customer quality and value.
“Choice is also a big thing and our range of products is always increasing. We cover everything a builder could need in construction, from the foundation of a house to the roof and everything in between, including plumbing, bathroom ware, doors and floors, paint and all the finishes. On the agri side, we have gates and fences, while some of the stores sell animal feed, and we have absolutely everything the DIY man could want.”
Whether a customer needs advice, information or just the fastest-possible getaway, Cooney’s Homevalue’s trusty team are on hand to make things as smooth, precise and hassle-free as possible: “Our staff really know their stuff and that applies right across all five of our branches,” Emmet notes. “Each member of the team has a thorough knowledge off our product across the board, and have been with us long term, and they are all local to the branches where they work, with great knowledge of the local communities.
“We have been through some tough times for retail, especially during Covid , with building projects coming to a halt and products becoming very expensive, but it is encouraging to see some of the main products like timber, steel and insulation starting to gradually come back down again, which is a big help.”
Cooney’s Homevalue has been part of the AHL and United Hardware buying group for over 20 years and its mutually-beneficial association with the popular Homevalue brand – which ultimately results in lower prices for customers – is now an important facet of the business model.
“It’s a big part of what we are doing here and I’d like to thank them for their support. Being part of the buying group is very advantageous to us as we can source products at the best prices and pass those savings on to our customers. We also use their central warehouse quite a bit. Having the additional purchasing power definitely helps us to be more competitive.”
Cooney’s Homevalue are also renowned for being extremely supportive of their local communities, be that through sponsorship of local GAA clubs or fundraising initiatives or their ongoing support of Roscommon GAA through the Club Rossie fundraising initiative.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank United Hardware for their recognition at the United in Excellence Awards and their continued support,” Emmet concludes. “Also, a sincere thank you to our loyal customers and dedicated teams at all five stores, who help us continue to go from strength to strength.”
Cooney’s Homevalue,
Tibohine,
Frenchpark,
County Roscommon.
Tel: 094 9870007
Email: [email protected]
Web: cooneys.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2024, Vol 10 No 4
