Quinn speaks of ‘bittersweet’ moment in long business career

The founder of the Superquinn group has described the decision to drop the brand name as a “bittersweet” moment in his long business career.

Feargal Quinn, who founded the family supermarket business more than a half-century ago, voiced regret yesterday at the removal of the popular, iconic brand from the stores.

The businessman turned politician also expressed sadness at the loss of 102 jobs at the group’s headquarters in Lucan as a result of the decision to change the name of the existing Superquinn stores to SuperValu.

“Anything that has lasted 53 years isn’t bad,” said Mr Quinn. “I would have loved for the name to have stayed for another couple of hundred years, but you don’t win them all.”

He expressed confidence that the Musgrave group know what they were doing in making the controversial decision to replace the existing Superquinn stores with the SuperValu brand.

Mr Quinn, who established his family’s supermarket group in 1960 (which briefly traded as Quinn’s Supermarket) said he was pleased that Musgrave was an Irish family business who were prepared to invest money to develop the stores.

Although the self-made millionaire sold his interest in Superquinn eight years ago to another conglomerate before it was subsequently bought by its present owners, Mr Quinn said Musgrave had given him prior notification about the decision to drop the Superquinn brand.

“I would have preferred to see all 190 SuperValu stores become Superquinns, but my chance of being able to convince anyone of that is really rather slim,” he laughed.

Sanguinely, he acknowledged that change was inevitable in business, and particularly in such a competitive sector as the grocery trade.

Mr Quinn also express delighted at the public’s loyalty to the brand and urged existing customers to stay shopping in the same outlets.

“Even if it’s only the Superquinn sausages that stay, that is something,” he smiled.

More seriously he added: “Maybe the Superquinn name is worthy of keeping in some other forms as well.”

Attending the Dublin Horse Show in Ballsbridge where he was a judge in a competition for trade exhibitors, Mr Quinn was greeted by a lot of well-wishers who offered sympathy to him about the loss of the Superquinn brand.