Company

During the spring of 1944 a property became vacant on Patrick Street in Cork and Ben Dunne decided to put his savings to good use and start his own business. These premises gave him the ideal opportunity to put his 'Better Value' slogan to work and Dunnes Stores has kept that promise since the opening of this first store. Since then, Dunnes Stores has revolutionised Irish Retailing and is now Ireland's leading retailer.

The Patrick Street store opened on the 31st March 1944. Gardaí were called to control the crowds as word spread through the city of the bargains on offer. Quality clothing at pre-war prices and lower attracted swarms of eager shoppers.

The sheer pressure of the crowd forced a window in. No one was seriously injured, but a shopping frenzy occurred, the like of which was to be seen time and time again as more stores opened across the country.

Early ads for the Patrick Street store emphasising Ben Dunne's promise of 'Better Value' which was emblazoned on the side of the building enticed shoppers in their droves. Customers were to discover on that day in 1944, and subsequently, that those were not empty words.

Following on the success of Patrick Street, a second store opened on the North Main Street of Cork in 1947. This was followed by openings in Waterford, Mallow, Limerick and Wexford. The first store in Dublin opened in Henry Street in 1957. This was followed by a 'super-store' in South Great Georges Street in 1960. Advertisements boasted that this was a personal choice store with assistants behind every counter; but where the customer did not need to ask for certain items - they were on the counter where they could be easily examined. Up until this time, the whole idea in retail in Ireland was to protect the goods from the public. This concept was turned on its head with the idea that people look and buy when they see others doing so and that customers should be able to see and 'feel' the products on sale.

Grocery was introduced in the 1960's - only in a small way initially. It started with boxes of apples and oranges. Fruit was very expensive at that time and Ben Dunne began offering the best value in town.

Ireland's First Out-of-Town Shopping Centre

By 1965 the business had grown dramatically. At this stage, there were nine stores in Dublin, however, 95% of the business was in drapery. Ben Dunne's next venture was to change much of the direction of the business. In 1966 he viewed two disused factory units in the Dublin suburb of Cornelscourt and saw the potential for an out-of-town shopping centre.

The opening of this first out-of-town shopping centre was a major change from the traditional High Street shopping which proved that there was an enormous market for food. People came out of curiosity and found they got 'Better Value'. Shopping at Cornelscourt became an event, where people from all over the city could drive to, park their cars and fill up their boot in comfort.

Expansion Continues

The Company continued to grow and the first Dunnes Stores in Northern Ireland opened in Bangor in 1971. This was followed by the acquisition of a chain of eleven grocery stores which came on the market in 1978.

The first venture abroad was in Spain, which started as a unit in Las Rampas in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol and there are now five stores in the South of Spain. The Company further expanded into England in 1986 and there are now 6 stores throughout the England. Five stores have also opened in Scotland.