The Tuck Shop in Warrenpoint has been faithfully serving its customers for decades, a core part of the local community, providing essential services to young and old.

Established in 1910 and first opened by Miss M Kelly, The Tuck Shop has been a critical part of the seaside town since then.

In an announcement on social media, they said they would close on Friday 29^th August, after “many wonderful years serving the community”.

“We want to take this moment to say a massive thank you to each and every one of our amazing customers. Your loyalty, your smiles, your stories, and your support have meant the world to us,” they said.

“From early morning papers to after-school treats, and everything in between – it’s been an absolute pleasure to be part of your everyday lives. You’ve made The Tuck Shop more than just a shop. It’s been a place of connection, conversation, and community.

“To the people of Warrenpoint and the surrounding area, thank you for your kindness, your custom, and for making us feel like part of the town’s heartbeat. We’ll carry the memories with us, and we’ll always be grateful for the journey we’ve shared.”

News of the closure has been met with sadness, with Warrenpoint councillor Mark Gibbons saying The Tuck Shop was “much more than just a newsagents”.

‘LOSS OF A LIFELINE’

“It’s been a vital part of our community. A social hub. A daily meeting point, and a place filled with warmth, familiarity and care,” said Councillor Gibbons in an online tribute.

“Generations of people have walked through its doors, not just to pick up their messages, but to connect, chat and to smile.

“For many of our elderly and vulnerable residents especially, The Tuck Shop has provided something that can’t be measured – companionship and care,” he added.

“A quick visit to the shop might be the only conversation some people have in a day. The staff, with their kindness and genuine interest in the people they serve, have offered more than just good customer service, they’ve offered human connection, comfort, and dignity. They actually care.

“This closure is not just the loss of a business, it’s the loss of a lifeline for many, and a real blow to the fabric of our community. The people of Warrenpoint are truly gutted to see such an important part of our town disappear.”

Paying tribute to the “brilliant and caring staff”, Councillor Gibbons said they had “created memories, supported neighbours, supported us and made a difference in ways you may never fully realise”.

Many people paid tribute to The Tuck Shop, with several recalling fond memories of visiting and shopping their when they were younger. Thanking the owners, many people said they were very sorry to hear of the closure and passed onto the owners and staff at The Tuck Shop best wishes for the future.

The post County Down newsagents announces closure first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

It will be another week before P&O ships can operate from the port, after the firm sacked 800 staff.

One retail industry representative said disruption was for now “manageable”.

Mr Poots, however, warned that goods normally coming into Northern Ireland “won’t be able to get in”.

“There are export materials that need to get out of Northern Ireland which won’t get out,” he told BBC’s The View programme.

“About 50% of our food is exported out of Great Britain, so that is a real problem for us.”

As P&O sailings are a key part of Northern Ireland’s retail logistics infrastructure, the matter needed to be resolved “very quickly”, said NIRC’s director Aodhán Connolly.

He said retailers had stock in large distribution centres which should last for about four or five days.

In the meantime, he said retailers were looking at alternative Irish Sea options such as using the ports of Belfast and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

With regard to the transport of goods to and from mainland Europe, Mr Connolly said retailers were also considering using the Eurotunnel or air freight.

“P&O sailings are a key part of our retail logistics infrastructure – them being out of action does put immediate pressure on supply chains,” Mr Connolly told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme.

“While this is manageable at the moment, the longer the disruption continues, the more the likelihood is that we could see some issues, so this needs to be resolved very quickly,” he added.

On Thursday, private security officers were sent on to a ship docked at Larne Harbour in County Antrim, to remove staff.

Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries’ UK staff were told via a video message on Thursday that it was their “final day of employment”.

Steve Hedley of the RMT union told Good Morning Ulster on Friday that P&O’s actions were “completely unacceptable”.

He said the union’s legal team were preparing a legal challenge and would be working with maritime unions across the world.

“We have no problem at all with people getting jobs, as long as they are on the same terms and conditions of people working here,” he said.

Mr Hedley said he was originally from Northern Ireland and that the ferries were “absolutely essential” to its economy and infrastructure.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, William McCaughey, said the council would be seeking urgent discussions with P&O and that “council officers are on-hand to support affected staff”.

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NR talks to Jim O’Keefe about building the business, and how it continues to grow.

Established in 1990, Corn Dolly Foods is a family run business that has been serving the people of Newry and beyond for over three decades producing an extensive range of traditional and artisan breads, handmade confectionery and bespoke celebration cakes.

That’s the story in a nutshell – but speaking to Corn Dolly’s Jim O’Keefe it’s quickly apparent that the company has evolved into so much more over the years.

What’s in a name?

With its memorable and quirky name Corn Dolly has brought the brothers luck along the way – but the hard graft, dedication and commitment to quality is what’s paid off in the long run.

Jim O’Keefe explained “We wanted to come up with a memorable name – something a bit different. The corn dolly is steeped in mythology and folklore and is said to be a sign of good luck – so why not?”

So the name stuck and quickly became a talking point.

That was 31 years ago – when Jim and his brothers Donal and Anthony set up the business.

“It was 1990 when myself and two brothers started from rented premises on Hill Street in Newry. We were bakers, not businessmen and the first six months was a struggle. Then, people started to notice the quality – and the reputation seemed to spread by word of mouth and it just took off.

“In fact, it started to take off really quickly after that, and so we bought the property” explained Jim.

“We had all worked as bakers in the years leading up to going into business together, so when the opportunity came up to buy we went for it. We then bought premises in Warrenpoint in 1996 and opened a second Corn Dolly shop – which has also performed really well since then.”

Luck on their side

Luck was on the side of the O’Keefe brothers – when in 2005 they bought over a purpose built factory in Newry’s Greenbank Industrial Estate.

“That was 16 years ago and it was a big step up; it put us on a stronger footing – allowing us to take on more wholesale orders. We closed a third shop that wasn’t doing so well, which allowed us to focus on the two shops and building up the wholesale side.”

A strong relationship with the Henderson Group was formed and made a significant difference to the business. Another exciting development was the opening of the Corn Dolly instore shop at Mulkerns.

“Both of these developments were fantastic – Hendersons is one of the biggest companies in Northern Ireland. When we took over the factory, we renovated and built a large extension – and it’s just grown and grown since then.

“Hendersons is certainly our biggest customer. The in-store shop at Mulkerns has also been hugely successful.

Traditional batch loaf

“Our big sellers are the celebrations cakes and an extensive range of breads. The traditional batch loaf has always been one of our best products – people really like its nuttiness.

“I think it was the traditional batch loaf along with our celebration cakes that really put us on the map.

Sweet tooth

Of course we’re known in this part of the world for our love of all things sweet – we just can’t resist delicious confectionery.

“We pride ourselves in our confectionery displays – we like to think we provide a certain European or continental look to our displays.”

But change is coming – and the shops are due a new look following the pandemic.

“We were all set to do complete refurbishments – our plans were all in place to do this early in 2020  but that came to an abrupt end with Covid. However we’ve just resumed negotiations with design companies to take  the refurbishments forward.”

Pandemic hit hard

Like just about every business, the toughest times of the pandemic hit Corn Dolly hard.

Every aspect of the business was thriving just before the pandemic hit.

What started out to be a great year in the beginning of 2020, took a nosedive.

“We started on a high, becoming the Regional winner for Northern Ireland at the National Bakery Awards. Getting recognition as the best bakery in Northern Ireland is no mean feat” said Jim.

However, shortly after returning from the ceremony in London, the pandemic hit UK and Irish shores.

“It was not a good time. We were struck down with some cases at the factory and had to close it down for a few days for a deep clean. The shops had to close for six weeks, but when we re-opened after Easter business was extremely good again – with more people eating at home and looking for treats.”

The harsh stark reality of Covid came close to home for the O’Keefe brothers. Donal and Anthony both took ill – with Anthony developing pneumonia and being hospitalised and ventilated.

“It was a very scary time as he had to be ventilated but thankfully he pulled through.”

Entrepreneurial spirit

The three brothers are clearly very close and have a strong bond. They share a robust work ethos, with the entrepreneurial spirit in abundance – albeit in a quiet way.

Along with the future plans to develop the shops, the brothers now have some of their own children involved in the family business.

“We are very much a family business – that’s even reflected in our slogan – ‘with family baking at its heart.’ We feel that’s endearing to people – they can trust us for quality.

“We had to build our reputation and gain our customers’ trust. We were established back in 1990 as a brand new business so to make an impact we had to be good. We concentrated on quality ingredients. We introduced our own branded packaging for tray bakes and celebration cakes, then increased our output.

“One of our main goals is to look towards the future and keep moving with the times. We have plans to become even more available online in the future and improve our ordering service there.”

‘Dedication and commitment in our DNA’

“I think that dedication and commitment is in our DNA. We are hard workers, and we are driven – it’s second nature to us – even though you do get used to being an early riser we all have a good positive, healthy attitude to life.

“We’re not afraid of long hours and hard work – seventy hour weeks are the norm. We boost each other and are extremely lucky – especially coming through Covid. After that, we can come through anything.”

Jim has also noticed that shopping habits have changed. How millennials shop will change retail – but it seems there will always be demand for the traditional baker.

“We still get a buzz from the business – that sense of enthusiasm has stayed with us, maybe some day we’ll slow down and enjoy the fruits of our labour but for now, we’re looking forward to the refurbishments and seeing how it all turns out.”

The post Reap What You Sow – The Delicious Corn Dolly story first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.