After 40 years in Cork City centre Finbarr Cahill’s Menswear have announced that they will be closing in the coming weeks.
The second generation business was founded in 1980 by Finbarr Cahill and operated in Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork city with a staff of four people. With children's school wear becoming a major growth area of the business in recent years a decision was taken to invest more in a larger, modern and more accessible store in Carrigaline in the 1990s which provides a better overall environment for the growing school wear trade. Continuing to operate a second retail outlet in the city centre was making less economic sense.
The closure of Finbarr Cahill’s Menswear follows that of a number of family run retail outlets in the city centre and reflects the manner in which modern shopping has changed. The growth of online shopping combined with more convenient access to retails outlets in suburban areas has proven to be a challenge for sustaining small retail business in the city centre. The modern shopper seeks a more convenient overall experience.
Finbarr Cahill’s Menswear, like many other small family businesses, has had to adapt to modern shopping behaviour, creating extra capacity with the development of a new online presence www.cahillschoolwear.ie to meet the continuing growth in the school wear business.
The announcement coincides with the closure last month of another Cork family retail outlet; Finn’s Corner.
"It feels a bit like the end of an era, particularly so close to Finns Corner closing. Not only did Dad work in Finns Corner for 20 years, before he opened his own premises, he also met my mother Angela there’ said Brendan Cahill, Finbarr’s son, who has run the business for the last number of years.
‘Last year when my dad, Finbarr, sadly passed away we were very moved by the many happy memories people had of their experiences in our shop over the years. There were many tales of First Holy Communion outfits from many years ago and the fondness of people's memories was very gratifying’.
‘The goodwill from the public and the nostalgia generated since the news began to emerge has been very heart-warming’ said Brendan. We are very grateful to our many customers over the years and we look forward to maintaining those great relationships, as we continue to transition our business’ concluded Brendan. ‘Our aim is to provide the modern consumer with the convenience they need while maintaining the traditional customer service standards for which we are renowned.’