Earlier this week, Irish wholesale and distribution company Barry’s of Mallow announced the acquisition of Kilkenny Wholesale Cash & Carry for an undisclosed purchase price.
Kilkenny, which generates revenues of EUR15m annually, had announced in June that it would cease operations due to continued difficulty in achieving profitable trading levels.
“The acquisition,” Barry’s of Mallow chief executive Jim Barry said, “sees Barry’s of Mallow strengthening our overall operation and our reach in the marketplace.”
Barry said that Barry’s sees strong growth potential in Kilkenny, which it hopes to exploit going forward. “As a fellow member of the Stonehouse Group, Ireland’s leading independent wholesale group, with a combined spend of EUR2bn each year, we were familiar with the Kilkenny operation and saw significant growth opportunities within its strong independent business and its strong catering business,” Barry commented.
Barry’s has retained a number of key Kilkenny sales staff, who will work within the Barry team to develop the growth opportunities identified.
Barry’s operates the Costcutter and QuikPick franchises in Ireland, of which there are over 200 outlets nationwide. Barry’s also supplies a large network of independent stores throughout Ireland.