Refurb doubles retail space for Brennan’s

Putting the customer and their shopping experience first was at the forefront of the recent refurbishment completed at Brennan’s Seaforde, as owner Conor McKibbin tells NR.

Trading for over 90 years, Brennan’s Seaforde is a well-known and hugely popular store, which has served several generations. Conor McKibbin’s parents, Paul and Margaret McKibbin bought the shop from the Brennan family in 1996 and since then have made the store a core part of the local community.

Since 1998, Conor has been at the helm of the popular family neighbourhood store and has committed himself and his staff to providing that essential neighbourhood service with a focus on providing for and supporting the community.

Having initially planned to refurbish the store in 2020, plans were put on hold as the turbulence of the outworkings of the pandemic took effect. Instead, work got underway in the spring of 2024, with works completed earlier this year. The refurbishment was supported by Ulster Bank.

The store, which stands at over 3500 sq ft, has undergone impressive renovation and refurbishment, with a change in the use of space proving a vital and successful move, allowing Conor to double the size of their retail offering.

“The store is the same footprint as before, but moving our non-retail space upstairs has grown the overall retail space and staff numbers have grown by 15,” explained Conor.

“Throughout the planning and the refurbishment works, we focused on our customer and their shopping requirements and experience, while back-of-house, we tried to adapt the working environment to the benefit of our very supportive team.”

The size of the fresh food offering has doubled, thanks to the works, while they are also able to deliver even more value throughout their new food and coffee to go as well as through their fresh and locally sourced products.

“Not only has our fresh food offering doubled, but our entire range of groceries throughout the store has extended to bring fantastic choice for now and for later and better yet, we have introduced even more price cuts to bring additional value to our shoppers,” said store manager, Gemma Kearney.

“Services have also expanded, with the Post Office now available at our checkouts from 8am to 8pm every day, bringing even more convenience to the area,” added Gemma.

Their four-pump fuel forecourt also underwent renovation during the recent works. Now trading under Texaco, new pre-pay pump options provide even more convenience for their customers.

Famous for their vanilla ice cream, which is made on site, the hugely popular Brennan’s Ice Cream counter is complemented by a new-look Brennan’s Deli and comfortable new seating area, all of which continue under the Brennan’s brand and offers breakfast, lunch and an all-new range of shakes to sit in or go.

“Thanks to the popularity of our Barista Bar coffee to go offering, we have also installed the all-new Barista Iced machine, giving shoppers the choice between a hot caffeine fix or a cold brew,” added Gemma. “We are delighted to be one of the first outlets in Northern Ireland to offer this product.

Additionally, Brennan’s Seaforde proudly boasts a production kitchen and an off sales, adding increasing convenience for customers and widening the offering available. This is having a tangible impact on the store, with Conor telling NR that “footfall is up and basket spend growing all the time”.

Inevitably, with work of this scale, there will be some hiccups along the way, but Conor said they were ably assisted by a core team.

“Despite some robust planning, major hurdles were overcome with the assistance of Whittaker & Watt Architects and the main contractor, Cleary’s Contracting,” said Conor.

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON BRENNAN’S SEAFORDE IN THE JULY-AUGUST ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE