Quinn departs chain after sale

SUPERQUINN deputy chairman Eamonn Quinn has left the supermarket chain after its €450 million takeover by Select Retail Holdings was formally completed yesterday.

The company said Mr Quinn, son of founder Senator Fergal Quinn, was leaving to manage his family’s interests. Senator Quinn remains with the company in a non-executive role and continues to have a share in the business, but the company has declined to give details of its size.

Senator Quinn’s other son Stephen has also stayed with the company.

New executive chairman Simon Burke, who fronted the group of private investors that made up the Select consortium, took over the reins yesterday. He said the takeover had taken slightly longer than expected but the process had run smoothly. “I’ve very rarely seen a deal with fewer issues,” he said.

He said Mr Quinn’s departure was “his decision, not ours” and wished him well. Mr Burke, a former top executive with Richard Branson’s Virgin retail business and British toystore Hamleys, added he would make a number of senior appointments within days to strengthen Superquinn’s management team.

Mr Burke will visit each of the company’s 20 stores in the coming weeks to meet staff on the ground. He has already written to them outlining his plans for the group and said he would move to calm fears over job losses.

“I believe Superquinn has the best team of people anywhere in the Irish supermarket business - grocers, butchers and bakers - many of whom have a lifetime’s experience of giving great service and my goal is to enable them to deliver a world-class service to customers every day,” he said.

He added customers could expect business as usual and the company would not increase prices under its new owners. Trading has picked up on last year’s levels. He also ruled out shop closures.

“If we have to close a shop, it’ll be because it’s not trading profitably and I don’t believe I can turn it around.” But there may be temporary closures of certain stores to allow for property development. Mr Burke said he would be “keen to avoid” these closures wherever possible.