Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown came up trumps once more at the 2023 National Grocery Management Awards when conscientious store manager Rebecca Murphy was named as C-Store Manager of the Year (Large). We touched base with Rebecca to find out more about the exceptional customer- and staff-orientated atmosphere and culture she has helped instil in this vibrant 4,000 sq. ft store, which has been at the heart of local community activity for 43 years and counting.
The cream of Ireland’s grocery retail industry gathered at Dublin’s Royal Marine Hotel on Thursday, May 18th for the annual Grocery Management Awards, which recognise individual management excellence in the sector. A total of 21 winners were named on the night, including Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown manager Rebecca Murphy, who brought the prestigious C-Store Manager of the Year (Large) award from the capital back to the banks of the Lee.
Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown is part of the Herlihy Group, which comprises seven Centra stores across County Cork – located in Bishopstown, Fermoy, Grand Parade, Mallow, Millstreet, Oliver Plunkett Street and Patrick Street and generating direct employment for over 300 people.
Bishopstown is where it all began for the Herlihys in 1980, when Pat and Maureen – parents of present-day group owners Brian and Kevin Herlihy – threw open the doors to their original friendly, neighbourhood Centra. A family ethos has always prevailed at Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown and the other six stores in the group. Pat, who was a director in Musgrave Group, instilled a strong working ethic in his family and his son Brian took over the business in 1996 and embarked on a programme of expansion.
Renowned for their unbeatable customer service and fresh offerings, Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown have collected multiple industry awards down through the years, so it was no major surprise when they were back capturing national headlines again in mid-May.
A previous winner of the C-Store Manager of the Year (Small) award while she was managing Herlihy’s Grand Parade Store in the city, Rebecca Murphy was delighted to this time accept the coveted Large convenience store manager of the year award:
“The Grand Parade store was easier to manage as it is smaller, whereas Bishopstown is a much larger store and therefore this is a bigger achievement,” she reflects. “In winning this, it feels like I have progressed and that’s a nice feeling. It wasn’t easy and I’m definitely more proud of this one, although I have to say that winning any award like this is a huge honour.”
Having started out as an intern in the bakery before gradually working her way up through the ranks, Rebecca has been on a tremendous journey thus far with Herlihys, with whom she has worked for over a decade now, transferring between the Grand Parade and Bishopstown stores on numerous occasions. In total, she has been store manager for coming up on seven years, the last two of these at Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown.
“I knew I was shortlisted for the award and obviously I was very happy to hear my name called out on the night,” the modest award-winning store manager continues. “In total, we had eleven people nominated across 13 different categories this year. Dominic Kelleher from the Fermoy store, who actually started here in Bishopstown as a butcher, was named as the Supermarket Delicatessen/Food to Go Manager of the Year, which was a fantastic achievement.
“Fermoy is the flagship store now – it’s the biggest store in the Herlihy Group and the head office is located there. But Bishopstown will always be the original store and will always command a special place in the group. Brian and Kevin grew up here and their mother, Maureen, still lives behind the shop. This is a family-run business with a strong emphasis on relationships and customer and staff care, and that is very much evident in Bishopstown.”
Invariably delivering a genuinely friendly service, offering the best in wholesome fresh food and proud to be prominent at the heart of the community, Herlihys strive for excellence at all times and leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of achieving the very best in products, services and value. All staff both young and old play a vital role in maintaining and improving the quality of customer care and the delivery of top-quality fresh produce. The continued success of the business is very much based on a strong partnership with staff, whose support, enthusiasm, initiative and honesty drives the group’s mission to be the best.
The fresh food offering in Herlihy’s is unique in that they are demonstrably passionate about freshness. Significant time and effort is invested into developing new recipe ideas and meal solutions, which are marketed under the Herlihy’s Kitchen brand. All these products are made from scratch in custom-built kitchens and the bakery in Fermoy, which is responsible for production for all seven stores. Constant innovation to produce modern and nutritious meal solutions for time-pressed consumers is key to the success of Herlihy’s Kitchen.
Rebecca is quick to point out that she doesn’t strictly consider the C-Store Manager of the Year award to be a personal accolade: “It’s not necessarily for me; it’s all about my staff. I am not front of house; they are the people customers see and are served by. My role is to provide the staff with everything they need so that they can give great service to our customers.
“To support them, care for them and consider their needs … and sometimes you have to almost be like a counsellor, to listen to their concerns and always make sure the staff are happy, that morale is high and that they are all happy to come to work. Creating a positive working environment is crucial and to achieve this I take care of my staff.
“Having happy staff is easier said than done. There are a lot of spinning plates that you have to keep up all at once and it can be challenging. When the feedback is good, then all the effort is worthwhile. We had a mystery shopper report recently and the feedback – that we give genuinely lovely customer service – was fantastic. That’s a real boost for the entire team.
“At the end of the day, I couldn’t have won the Grocery Management Award without my staff. I only have two hands and there is only a limited amount of work I can do. I’m only as good as my team and it’s my job to make sure they are comfortable in their job and happy to come into work every day. Of course I’m happy to get the award and to have my name on it but it’s very much about the entire team and the store as a whole.
“I have 40 staff and they are a really great bunch. While it’s a job first and foremost, we have fun together too. There’s no point coming into work and being miserable. That creates a poor impression and would impact on customers. As soon as you walk into a place, you can pick up on the atmosphere and we have a genuinely happy, friendly feel here in Bishopstown.
“Customers are at the forefront of everything the Herlihys do and that’s in their mission statement. Brian and Kevin are retail to the core; they grew up in the store and got their pocket money in the store. They have that insight into the business that you don’t necessarily get in other stores. You can feel the passion from them and it is contagious. They are knowledgeable, passionate and they care about their staff and their customers. They know the names of all their staff and are interested in us and how we are getting on.
“On a personal level, I wouldn’t have stayed here for over a decade if I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere,” the 2023 C-Store Manager of the Year concludes. “I have been lucky in that they saw something in me and nurtured my skills and rewarded me with a series of promotions. That same opportunity is available to anybody here if they want it and are prepared to work for it.
“Even today, I still sit down for one-to-one meetings with Brian every couple of weeks, and you simply won’t get that attention to detail everywhere else. There’s something special in the air here and it’s all coming from the owners.”
Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown,
Curraheen Road,
Bishopstown,
Cork.
Tel: 021 4541232
Email: [email protected]
Web: herlihycentra.ie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/herlihyscentra.bishopstown
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 2 No 1, Summer 2023
