26 BUSINESS PROFILE November 15 2012

Cunniffe Electric - a household name fortop brands at best prices

BY MARTINA NEE

It may have changed immensely sinceits early days, growing to becomeGalway’s largest electrical retailer,but Cunniffe Electric remains at itsheart a family business, alwaysstriving to provide its loyal customerswith excellent customer service andtop brands at the best prices.

When you think of Galway bredbusinesses there are only a handful ofnames that have cemented areputation as fine as CunniffeElectric, which has over the past 38years grown to become a top port ofcall when it comes to purchasingpretty much anything electrical, or asTony Cunniffe likes to put it,“anything with plug”. Sitting in thebright and spacious superstore atRiverside Commercial Estate, TuamRoad, it is easy to see where this littlephrase comes from. Customers aregreeted by a whole range of productsand well laid out displays as well asfriendly and knowledgeable staff. Theservices on offer at the smallerGalway Shopping Centre store are noless impressive with the sameattention to detail being paid toensuring that the needs of customersare met by providing them withquality products and advice.

There have been many changes atCunniffe Electric since it was firstestablished in 1974 by two brothersfrom Killimor, Co Galway. With greatentrepreneurial spirit Paddy and NoelCunniffe set up their fledglingbusiness at the Galway ShoppingCentre with only two staff. Howeverwith hard work and dedication thebusiness grew and the store wasexpanded in the early 1990s enablingthe addition of built-in displays andintegrated appliances. Increasing thestore space to twice its original sizealso allowed the business to breakinto the TV market.

“In 1974 the business was deliveryfrom a car and trailer. The guysworked all day, six days a week,evenings and weekends, and thereputation was gradually built upover time. It was certainly difficultstarting out. The business wouldn’thave sold many dishwashers at thetime or built-in kitchens. Theindustry was changing and growing.In the early 90s the space was there,and we took the chance to expand.Galway Shopping Centre is adestination centre, 40 years old now,with plenty of parking. Footfall hasalways been a major draw andCunniffes became associated with thecentre,” explains Tony Cunniffe, co-

director along with Eoin Cunniffe.The next major milestone came in

2001 when Cunniffe Electric joinedwith the Expert Electrical group,Ireland’s largest electrical retailerboasting 60 retail stores in Irelandand 8,000 worldwide. This move gaveCunniffe Electric, now a secondgeneration business, the buyingpower it needed to keep up withchanges within the industry and toretain the reputation it had built up.

“It allowed us to get better pricesthrough bulk buying and gave usquicker access to stock. There hadbeen a lot of competition at the time,there were multinationals, six orseven electrical stores in Galway. Wefelt that by joining with ExpertElectrical it guaranteed our futureand helped our customers in buyingappliances that were as good asanyone else and at the best pricesbecause we were able to pass on thediscounts,” said Tony.

While many businesses werestarting to feel the first stings of therecession Cunniffe Electric made abrave move in 2008 by taking over theunit at the Tuam Road and creatingthe superstore that stands theretoday. It was a decision based not onlyon necessity but also foresight, tobring the business forward andrealise its full potential withoutforgetting the core values that madeit a household name in the first place.

As Tony explains: “We had verylimited display space at the GalwayShopping Centre which meant a lot ofthe time we were selling out ofbrochures. This superstore gave us alot more space allowing us to creatededicated displays for premiumbrands such as Miele, Siemens,Bosch, Neff, and Range Master. Thereare a lot of working and plugged inmodels which allows customers to geta feel for it, touch and use theproduct. We also drasticallyexpanded our TV displays, there iseverything now from 16” to 60” ondisplay with premium brands likePanasonic, Sony, and Pioneer. Weopened the Tuam Road store at thebeginning of the downturn, when theCeltic Tiger had its last roar. It was abrave decision but we were looking atexpanding for a long time and ithelped cement us as Galway’s largestelectrical retailer.

“We have changed our thinkingslightly but we’ve always been knownfor household appliances and TVs. In2011, we completely revamped theGalway Shopping Centre store whichnow offers a range of digital productswith a large selection of laptops. The

TV display at the store has also beenincreased as well as the smallerappliances section which is nowlarger and more colourful. This is alsoa dedicated coffee machine area.

“We hold the largest appliances inthe west and 80 per cent of themachines bought today are deliveredtomorrow, there is no waiting. Weoffer full delivery and professionalinstallation on all our appliances.We’ve never gone down the road ofbudget appliances, everything we sellwe stand over. Everybody here hasbeen with us a long time so there is a

lot of experience in the business. Ifcustomers come back the followingyear they will see the same staff. Thisis still a family business at the heartof it, built on the same guidingprinciples of customer service,stocking the best brands at the bestprices, and having experienced staffon hand. We’re a destination foranything with a plug, the best brands,staff, stock, and without a doubt thebest prices.”

Cunniffe Electric stocks a largerange of home entertainment, topbrands in the kitchen and home

section from freezers, dishwashers,ovens to dryers. There are alsolaptops, DVD and Blu-Ray players,and much more. Full recyclingservice is also provided on request.

For full details log ontowww.cunniffeelectric.ie or phone theGalway Shopping Centre store on 091561971, the Tuam Road store on 091706504, or emailinfo@cunniffeelectric.com. TheGalway Shopping Centre store is openseven days a week while the TuamRoad store is open six days a week.

Tony Cunniffe with his team Sean, Richard, Neil and Bernadette at Cunniffe Electric Expert, Tuam Road, Galway.Photo:-Mike Shaughnessy

Cunniffe Electric Expert, Tuam Road, Galway. Photo:-Mike Shaughnessy

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