Bernard Keane’s story in retail spans decades and two communities – with deep family roots in Athleague and a major milestone being marked this weekend at his Lanesboro premises, which he bought in 1996.
This week Bernard and his wife Mags and staff celebrate the 30th anniversary of the opening of their landmark shop premises in Lanesboro.
The Keane family’s retail connection in Athleague dates back to 1909, when Bernard’s grandfather returned from England and made a decision that shaped generations. Having gone to England at 16 to work, he came home on holidays one summer and spotted a pub-and-shop business for sale in Athleague village.
He bought it, and decided not to return to England – and in the tradition of the time, the business operated “all together in the one room”: shop on one side, bar on the other. Later, Bernard says his father and uncle bought the house next door and moved the shop into it, creating a separate business.
When Bernard’s father died in 1974, Bernard was still in school. His mother kept the shop going for the following years, and after finishing college Bernard returned full-time in 1979.
“It was a general merchant’s,” Bernard recalls. “We sold drapery… and in the older days, we sold everything from gates to wheelbarrows to all sorts of hardware, grocery items.”
Like many rural shops of that era, it was a true one-stop shop, built around service and community knowledge – the kind of place where you could pick up essentials, small hardware items, and everything in between in one visit. In those earlier days, the range was so broad that the shop even sold coffins – something Bernard remembers from childhood, when he and other youngsters would play hide-and-seek around them.
But retail didn’t stand still – and neither did the Keane business. In 1991, Bernard made a major move, relocating the shop to its current position as Centra in Athleague on the main N63. The previous location was slightly off the road, and with changes planned locally (including the prospect of being bypassed by a new bridge), Bernard knew the time had come to move.
While retail has evolved dramatically since those days, Bernard says the core of retail has always been the same.
“I like meeting people… talking to customers,” he says. “Retail – if I had time – the best bit of it is being on the tills and checking people out and having a chat with them… It’s people interaction really. It’s staff and customers… friends you’ve made over the years. Regular customers coming in. It’s great.”
That emphasis on local connection is a thread through both locations today – with Centra Athleague rooted in a long family story, and SuperValu Lanesboro now the focus of a major celebration.
ABOVE: An aerial (drone) photo of Keane’s in Lanesboro as it is now and an aerial photo of the location from the 1990s.
Bought in 1996 – rebuilt, modernised, and still built around people and community
Bernard Keane bought the Lanesboro premises in 1996, and over the years it has been developed and modernised to meet changing shopping habits and higher customer expectations.
The years that followed were defined by expansion and constant reinvention. Bernard acquired additional nearby property to support development, creating more space and improving the customer experience. Then came a bold decision in the mid-2000s: a full rebuild. The business moved across the road into a temporary premises for a year while the site was knocked and rebuilt from the ground up, allowing the store to return bigger, stronger, and ready for the next era.
After operating as Spar/Eurospar, the store joined the SuperValu group in July 2008 – and it has been SuperValu ever since.
Retail has changed enormously, Bernard believes.
“Everybody has two or three cars in every house now, and their jobs are further away,” he says. “They tend to be on the move more, so when they’re on the move more, they have more options for shopping. You have to be up to the minute.”
That ‘up to the minute’ approach has meant significant investment. Bernard says that over the last two years alone, more than €1m has been spent revamping the premises and bringing it up to the most modern standards.
Importantly, Bernard notes that while the premises has been upgraded and redeveloped over the years, the original style/character of the building was retained, so what stands there today still reflects a familiar look within the town while offering a modern retail experience inside.
Today, Bernard points to the strength of the supply chain and the quality customers expect. “We have six-day-a-week deliveries, fresh and ambient, so the service is very good”.
Staff ‘lifeblood of our business’
Bernard and Mags credit their staff as the foundation of the business. The store has around 47 staff, with some team members having served customers for over 20 years.
“They’re definitely the lifeblood of any business,” Bernard says. “It’s not me the customers get to interact with all the time – it’s the staff.
They’re noted for their friendliness and willingness to help out people.”
He also points to the store’s role in supporting community life locally, backing clubs and groups across the area.
Despite the pressures retail can bring, Bernard says he still enjoys the rhythm of business life – even after decades.
“If you told me I’d still be doing this 40 years later, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he says.
“I suppose everyone thinks when you’re 20 years of age that you want to be retired and off in the sunset.
But in the reality of life, it’s probably a little bit different… I don’t think I’d like to be retired fully and have nothing to do. I like to do business when – obviously it has pressurised days, things don’t always go right – but I actually enjoy that part of it.”
And when asked what advice he would give to anyone starting out in business, Bernard doesn’t hesitate:
“Get the best accountant you can’t afford! Even if you think you can’t afford them, get a good accountant. That would be the best advice I could give to anybody.”
SUPERVALU LANESBORO 30 YEARS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 7th (1 pm-5 pm)
A special in-store celebration will take place at SuperValu Lanesboro this Saturday from 1pm to 5pm, with kids’ entertainment, prizes and giveaways.
Kids’ entertainment (1 pm-3pm): Walk-around characters including a clown and Minnie & Mickey
Prizes & raffles: Spinning wheel and spot prizes throughout the afternoon
Top prizes include:
€500 Secret Hotel voucher (top prize)
€300 Secret Hotel voucher (second prize)
€200 voucher for Sorrento Italian restaurant (next door)
Hampers, chocolates, SuperValu footballs and plenty of in-store prizes
How to enter:
The prize draw is already underway, with entry forms available in store in the lead-up to Saturday.