‘It’d be a bad thing if it doesn’t stay the same... McCambridge’s is symbolic to Shop Street’

After 100 years as a family business, McCambridge’s on Shop Street in Galway city is set for “a new chapter” following its sale to the Musgrave Group.

However, customers learning of the news on Friday were keen to emphasise the value of keeping things relatively unchanged.

“It is a staple of Galway city. It has always been there, and it has always been handy if you need a nice, good, fresh sandwich or something during lunchtime because you know that whatever they sell there is top quality stuff,” said NUI Galway student and native of the city Caoimhe Killeen.

“I think it definitely marks the end of an era for them, but hopefully [the sale] doesn’t mean that they’ll be gone forever from Galway city.”

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Jane Smith, who hails from Nottingham but lives in Feakle, Co Clare, and regularly visits Galway, issued similar advice to the new owners: “It’d be a bad thing if it doesn’t stay the same... McCambridge’s is symbolic to Shop Street.”

The family-owned food retail, wholesale and service company said Musgrave – owner of chains SuperValu and Donnybrook Fair – had bought it for an undisclosed sum.

McCambridge’s has operated on Shop Street since its doors opened in 1922, and was kept in the family for three generations.

Eoin McCambridge, current managing director of the company along with his sisters Norma and Natalie, who are all grandchildren of George, who originally founded the company, put the business up for sale on the open market before deciding to sell to Musgrave.

It is understood Musgrave plans to continue trading the store under the McCambridge’s name and is committed to investing in and enhancing the award-winning deli, fine food shop and restaurant over time.

All the store’s 34 staff members will remain in employment under the same terms and conditions as before.

In a statement, the McCambridge family said, “from one family business to another”, they believe the two have values that are strongly aligned and they “look forward to watching the store thrive under new ownership”.

The statement also said: “The McCambridge family believe the sale of the business is an exciting development and one that will both secure employment and the shop’s future a part of a new chapter.”

The family thanked their customers for their loyalty, and colleagues and suppliers for their hard work and support.

In a statement, Musgrave said: “McCambridge’s is internationally, nationally and locally acclaimed and greatly admired by food lovers over many years. It represents a fantastic addition to the Musgrave group.”

The statement said the addition of McCambridge’s to the group aligned with its purpose of “growing good business” and it looked forward to working with McCambridge’s as part of the business integration process over the coming months.