Barry's acquires Kilkenny rival's business

Barry's of Mallow, one of the State's leading wholesale and distribution companies has acquired the business of Kilkenny Wholesale Cash & Carry.

The deal sees Barry's acquiring the €15 million revenue streams of Kilkenny, which had announced in June that it was to close due to a continuing history of difficulty in achieving profitable trading levels.

The acquisition sees Barry's of Mallow strengthening its overall operation and reach in the marketplace according to Jim Barry, the group's chief executive.

"As a fellow member of the Stonehouse Group, Ireland's leading independent wholesale group, with a combined spend of €2 billion each year, we were familiar with the Kilkenny operation and saw significant growth opportunities within its strong independent business and its strong catering business.

"The acquisition announced today sees Barry's of Mallow servicing the Kilkenny customer base going forward."

Barry's of Mallow has retained a number of key Kilkenny sales staff who will work within the team to develop the significant growth opportunities the company has identified in Kilkenny.

Barry's, which was established in 1955, operates from a 125,000 sq ft state-of-the-art logistics facility in Mallow and employs in excess of 200 staff. It operates the Costcutter and QuikPick franchises, of which there are more than 200 outlets nationwide.

Barry's also supplies a large network of independent stores throughout the State. The company has an annual turnover of €180 million and is a member of the Stonehouse Group and Aontas, a buying alliance of Stonehouse and Superquinn.