Connacht Gold to invest €1.5 million in Westport store

Connacht Gold to invest €1.5 million in Westport store


Áine Ryan

Connacht Gold has announced it is set to make a major investment in its Westport DIY facility, which recently opened a boutique garden centre. Work on the €1.5 million project is scheduled to start in May and will lead to six new jobs. 
The building contract has already gone out to tender and it is envisaged that the totally revamped facility, situated on the Lodge Road, will be opened by February 2012.
“This represents a significant financial commitment by Connacht Gold. We have steadily been building and developing our network of stores over the past number of years and the Westport upgrade is yet another step in this process,” said Aaron Forde, Connacht Gold’s Chief Executive.
He continued: “We are delighted to be in a position to invest this amount of money in the area and to create much-needed jobs in the west of Ireland. While agri- customers continue to be a core part of our business, we want to keep widening our stores’ appeal across the region and attract a broader range of customer.”
The co=operative recently opened the doors of its revamped Swinford store.  
Westport‘s Connacht Gold store first opened in 1989. This major expansion will involve a state-of-the-art 34,000 square feet DIY and garden centre, which will prioritise customer comfort and the availability of a broad range of products.
Connacht Gold is a co-operative with a diverse amount of businesses interests in the general agricultural sector, as well as in property management. Its headquarters are in Tubbercurry, County Sligo, and it directly employs 550 people, with operations all over the west and in the UK. 
It was established in 2000, after the merger of the North Connacht Farmers’ Co-operative Society Ltd and the Kiltoghert Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy Society Ltd.
At present it has 14,000 farmer shareholders throughout Connacht and Donegal.