Alex Barry: Two Years at The Helm of Centra Crosshaven
- Online Journalist
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Tara Maher
Just over two years ago Centra Crosshaven changed hands over to Alex Barry.
Originally from Monkstown, Alex studied Accountancy at University College Cork and trained in Deloitte before “heading off to Australia like everyone does.” Upon returning home, he had no grand plan, but running his own business was always in the back of his mind, having seen many of his family members do it. He began working his way through the ranks of Musgraves, with stints in finance and analytics before eventually moving into sales.
“Sales is where the retailers are.” He explained. “I was the National Sales Manager for Centra, and I got really close to all the independent retailers all around the country. So, there's 500 Centra stores around the country and they're pretty much all independently owned. People have their businesses for a hundred years, people have just gone in out of nowhere and opened it. There's just everything going on. All throughout the country, you've got from Grafton Street to Achill Island and everywhere in between. I found it fascinating. So, I was in that for a few years and then I was like, right, you know what? I actually fancy doing a bit of that myself.”
The opportunity arose in August 2023 and Alex found himself inside his Centra for the first time. With a clear strategy in mind, without knowing exactly how to get it done, he leaned on store manager, Conor Middleton to help field his questions, learning names, and wondering, in his words, “where the switch was while trying to keep the lights on.”
Taking the helm of Centra was always going to be a challenge. Alex, an avid sailor - a member of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and volunteer at the Crosshaven RNLI - in his spare time, knew it wouldn’t be all plain sailing. The village experienced a shift, with work on a major construction project winding down, and the return of office working after the pandemic in conjunction with increasing costs of energy, stock and labour, Alex was forced to re-evaluate his strategy. Changes were inevitable.
Alex told The Carrigdhoun that when it came to making changes, he didn’t want to cut corners, and employed a digital strategy to modernise the shop to make it more eco and customer friendly, and to remove any mundane tasks. His goal was “to make digital changes that people wouldn’t notice.”
In March, they invested in solar panels on the roof, 75 to be exact, which provide roughly 20% of their energy needs, and next year the refrigeration system will also be upgraded. The Deli was also enhanced, which helped the team be nominated for “Deli of The Year” in the Centra Awards last month.
One of the most controversial changes came with the introduction of self-checkouts in the shop. “That was one of the most challenging periods that I've had. And people were very strongly opinionated about it. A short percentage of people were negative about it, and it would weigh you down a bit” he admitted. “It was probably the most visible digital change.”
Alex emphasised that the self-checkouts were brought in to give customers a choice. “If you want to go to the self-checkout, but if you want to go to Mary or Anne and have a chat, then that's there for you too. I think once people realised, you know, this is actually about choice, then it was all fine again.”
Centra Crosshaven has been a hub of activity since it was first opened. “I was lucky to get a good shop in a great location. This also came with added pressure.” Determined to build on the work that had been done by previous owner Bernard Lynch, and former manager Connor Middleton who has since gone on to run his own shop.
“You can only do so much. You just have to be yourself. And probably in the early days, you might put yourself under a bit of pressure to be like the last guy who was here or not, right? But I wanted to bring my own personality and my own family's kind of personality to the place.” Alex’s wife, Jen, has joined him in helping to run the shop as smoothly as possible.
Alex learned early on that what made Centra Crosshaven a powerhouse was the community that it served, but also those in the community that served Centra. “It comes from the sum of all the people, Gary and Geoff, the Tom Aherns, the Mary Brazil’s, then to the likes of the supervisors; Emma, Mark, and Zoe, and the deli team. You have the suppliers, Tom Durcan, Aaron from Finders, Mike from the Old Mill, Griffins Potatoes, the bread and milk men that are here early mornings six days a week. Not to forget our customers, Peter Coughlan, Dominic Meade and so many others who pop in everyday of the week”. It is believed that since opening, Centra has employed over 1,000 people and served tens of thousands more.
“At first it’s overwhelming learning everyone’s names. When you live here and work here, you feel like all eyes are on you.” People stop him on walks to mention the fruit and veg or a missing item. “There are no days off,” he jokes. “But that’s independent retail.” He credits Connor for making the transition seamless. “We learned from each other. He taught me how to run the shop, and I suppose I taught him about taking one over.”
With the trials and tribulations of running your own business, there have also been many triumphs during the two years; the deli and bakery nominations in national awards, local partnerships and the 2025 Crosshaven Triathlon. “It's a hell of a lot of effort between the Coast Guard, the guards, the lifeboat, the council, all the local businesses who were interrupting the roads and all that. But it's a great day and this year Stephen Cleary came on board and he just made it so much easier.” “There's probably easier ways to raise money, but it's not just about the money, it's about the day itself. You see teenagers watching one year and participating the next. There have been some great stories over the years”.
The triathlon, which is an event that has been synonymous with the village and Centra for years, embodies the meaning of Crosshaven; community, charity and co-operation.
This year, proceeds went to the Crosshaven Development Committee, Crosshaven Pitch & Putt Club and the Youth Club.
In addition, Centra has also sponsored jerseys and camps in Crosshaven GAA Club, the bbq in Crosshaven AFC’s 7-a-side, oars for the Crosshaven Sea Scouts among so many more community events.
Safe to say, it's been a hectic two years. With 2026 on the horizon, Alex is looking forward to a “year of settling”. A year to let the dust settle after major investment, big staff transitions, new systems, and a changing ownership structure. “Next year will be about rhythm. Business as usual, as much as possible. After a few years of change, we’re ready for steady.” And if something unexpected comes along? He smiles.“It always does.”