Rooney’s Home & Hardware was one of the big winners at the 2024 Octabuild Builders Merchants Excellence Awards which were presented at a gala event in the Round Room of the Mansion House in Dublin on October 17 last.
No stranger to winning prestigious accolades, the thriving Kells, Co. Meath-business scooped the Excellence in Customer Service Award. The all-island event was attended by over 250 guests, including shortlisted merchants and representatives of the builders’ merchant trade from across the country. The event was hosted by the eight Octabuild members: Dulux, Etex, Glennon Brothers, Grant Engineering, Gyproc, Irish Cement, Kingspan Insulation and Wavin.
Octabuild Chairperson, Declan Conlon said: “It’s important for Octabuild that the Awards highlight the excellence of Irish builders’ merchants to the building and construction industry amidst its ever-changing landscape. Congratulations to all finalists and winners from all over the country who represented absolute excellence in the industry.”
Commenting on the quality of the entries, the judges said: “It is evident that the industry is evolving at a rapid pace with merchants across the country leading the way in the continuously changing landscape. The competition is fierce as merchants have embraced the opportunities in staff training, stock portfolio, premises, customer service, promotion, ecommerce and sustainability to develop their businesses.”
The coveted Excellence in Customer Service Award is another feather in the cap of Rooney’s Home & Hardware, incorporating Euronics, which recently became part of the Chadwicks Group. The Chadwicks Group is Ireland’s leading builders’ merchanting company, operating with 50 stores and over 1,500 colleagues across the country.
“The past 12 months have been very exciting for us,” branch manager Laura Cassidy enthuses.
“We were acquired by the Chadwicks Group last March. While the branch may have a new owner, the dedicated local team of highly-trained specialists remains the same.
“Being part of the Chadwicks Group gives us greater buying power which means more choice for our customers and we will continue to offer the same quality of service they have come to enjoy. Chadwicks are keen to develop, upskill and offer excellent opportunities to our young team. Our colleagues have the opportunity to progress and avail of the many benefits Chadwicks Group offers to employees – this is reflected in the Great Place to Work Award Chadwicks Group won for the second time in 2024.”
Rooney’s Home & Hardware have won several accolades themselves in recent years, including an incredible four awards for Overall Store of the Year, Best Regional Store in Leinster, Best Customer Service Excellence in Leinster and Best Light Hardware Store in Leinster at the 2019 United in Excellence Awards; Best Merchanted Store in Leinster and the Best Merchanted Store in Ireland at the 2022 United in Excellence Awards; Leinster Regional Award and Rising Star Award for Laura Cassidy at the 2022 Octabuild Builders Merchants Excellence Awards; and the Excellence in Customer Service Award this year.
In addition, the Co. Meath store was shortlisted for a Guaranteed Irish Retail, Tourism & Hospitality Award in 2023 and AIB Retail Ireland Manager and Store of the Year Awards in 2023.
“We love an Award and never get tired of winning them! We always strive to be the best in class. We have an amazing team and our customers are at the heart of our business,” Laura says.
From humble beginnings in 2012 when it was founded by Brendan and Cathleen Rooney, Rooney’s Home & Hardware has grown to employ 53 people at its state-of-the-art super store on the Oldcastle Road, Kells. It boasts a wide range of departments, including building products, agriculture, equine, paint, gardening, plumbing and heating, homeware and giftware, bathroom & floor, electronics and fuel. Brendan and Cathleen’s daughter Annemarie joined them in the venture in 2018 to drive the business further using her engineering experience, and now heads it up in tandem with Laura, who is her cousin.
Rooney’s Home & Hardware originally operated out of Kells Business Park, firstly from a 2,000 sq. ft. premises and then from a 16,000 sq. ft. premises which had 7,000 sq. ft. of retail space. But they were constantly striving for bigger and better, and moved into their current 46,000 sq. ft. premises on the Oldcastle Road in 2019. The significant upgrade is reflective of a strong performance across the business in recent years which follows an uptake in construction activity across the region.
The current facility accommodates a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse which was the main reason for the move. This ensures that they can keep all building products under the one roof. The modern store fitout delivers a strong customer experience with a greater focus on convenient browsing, particularly in the 3,000 sq. ft. dedicated home and giftware area. The high-spec store showcases a wide range of products, including light hardware, electrical, equestrian, garden and home products, along with heavy build materials such as timber and cement.
It also incorporates a bathroom, floor and door showroom along with electrical retailer Euronics which specialises in TVs, washing machines, tumble dryers, refrigeration, laptops, cookers and much more. Rooney’s Homevalue represents all the leading brands from Dulux and Fleetwood paints to Wavin pipes and Unilin Insulation. Opening hours are from 8am to 6pm Monday-Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, while a home delivery service is also provided.
“The vision for our shop is to offer a professional, efficient service and products whilst maintaining our current personal level of interaction with our customers. We believe our customers’ loyalty comes from keen pricing, stock availability and our highly-efficient and hands-on customer service and engagement,” Laura explains.
“Our mission is to become the largest offering home, hardware, Euronics and garden centre in Leinster. With our future development plans that are scheduled for the next 36 months, we believe we can become the No. 1 store in the province. Our mission is to be a one-stop shop from foundations to the finishing touches in your home.
“Our strategy is to be constantly adapting our store and products with existing and new trends and requirements. We do this by communicating with suppliers and customers on upcoming needs and trends in the market.”
The introduction of an express till, bi-annual customer appreciation days and an increased emphasis on training were central to Rooney’s Home & Hardware winning the Excellence in Customer Service Award.
“We introduced an express till which is located at the trade exit of the store,” Laura continues.
“It has resulted in a much quicker service level at peak times. The feedback from customers has been very positive, while we also have increased our staffing level on the shop floor to help customers with queries and finding the right products for their needs. If someone needs something, we’ll have it. We pride ourselves on that.
“Our delivery service is also one of our big selling points. Our drivers’ local knowledge results in a quick and efficient delivery schedule
“We have held two customer appreciation days in the last year in November and April. We had a special visit from Santa at the November one and gave away over €1,000 in stock on both days.
“Furthermore, we have completed a lot of training over the last two years with our suppliers. Our team has received expert training from the likes of Toolbank, Weber BBQ, Southern Ventilation, Beamuit, Mannok Insulation and Kilmoon Nursing. We’re constantly expanding and now have an outdoor and indoor garden with our own horticulturist Elaine.”
As a strong supporter of local community groups, Rooney’s Hardware continues to give generously to GAA clubs in the area. Among the clubs it has sponsored are Gaeil Colmcille, Drumbaragh, St Michael’s, Kilmainham, St Ultan’s, Cortown, Carnaross, Ramor United and Wolfe Tones, who Laura plays both camogie and ladies football for.
“We try to spread the sponsorship across all the GAA clubs in our area. Their members support us on a daily basis and it’s our way of giving something back. We also sponsor products for the Hinterland Festival as well as an annual golf classic in aid of St Vincent de Paul at Headfort Golf Club. This tournament raised a staggering €15,000 for the charity last year.”
As it continues to go from strength to strength, the award-winning and newly-rebranded store would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and suppliers for their unwavering support.
Rooney’s Home & Hardware
Oldcastle Road,
Townsparks,
Kells,
Co. Meath,
A82 P9H0.
Telephone: 046 92 49726
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, March 2025, Vol 11 No 3
