Tirlán launches €11m investment in branch network

Tirlán has launched an €11 million investment to develop and upgrade its 52-branch network across various counties.

The co-op said this afternoon (Wednesday, January 11) that the investment package is part of a range of measures to future-proof its agri, retail and garden centre services in rural communities across 11 counties.

The plan will see the upgrading of branch IT infrastructure with new technologies which Tirlán said will make customer experience more enjoyable.

Works have already begun at branches in Athboy, Co. Meath; Castlelyons, Co. Cork; and Bunclody, Co. Wexford.

According to the co-op, the aim of the investment is to support local jobs and rural economies, as part of the business’ Living Proof sustainability strategy.

Tirlán chairperson John Murphy commented: “As a farmer-owned co-operative, Tirlán is committed to developing a modern network of stores that service the evolving needs of farmers and the communities we serve.

“We will be developing and upgrading our branches over the next four to five years and adding new Tirlán CountryLife garden centres at our existing branches in both Athboy, Co. Meath and Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny,” he added.

“We will improve the customer experience across all our branches in order to better service the evolving needs of our customers in communities.

“Many of these communities have lost their local post office, shops and other services in recent years and we aim to play our part in ensuring they remain vibrant and self-sufficient,” Murphy commented.

The upgrade to the Bunclody store is set to be completed in early 2023.

Senan Foley, head of retail at Tirlán, said: “Over a year ago, we partnered with An Post subsidiary PostPoint to bring a range of convenient services to rural communities.

“Today’s announcement is part of a wider investment programme that will not only further enhance our offering to customers, but also expand our role in the community.”

Phase one of the investment programme will see stores in Ashford, Monasterevin, Castlelyons, Athboy, and Bennetsbridge undergo renovations.

Phase two will see upgrades at branches in Dungarvan, Kilmeaden and Tullamore.

The upgrades will also see the rollout of new Tirlán branding at the branches.

Agri-stores will be rebranded to Tirlán FarmLife, while agri-stores with garden centres will be rebranded to Tirlán CountryLife.

The co-op also plans to make investments in areas such as people development and training, along with development of farm hardware ‘centres of excellence’.

A number of regional farmer information meetings are taking place as part of the rollout of the investment.

The details of the remaining meetings are as follows (all in-person meetings begin at 11:00a.m):