Peter Hyland, the Chief Executive of Carrolls Irish Gift, has noted an optimistic trend for the company as they experience a nearly 10% growth this year. During the unveiling ceremony of the company’s new establishment in College Green, Dublin, which represented an investment of €2 million, providing 45 additional job opportunities in the city, Mr. Hylan discussed company progress.
Carrolls noticed an accumulation in the demand for higher-value items, including wool sweaters. Despite the crises resulting from the Aer Lingus strike and the scarcity of accommodation affecting tourism, Mr Hylan opined that the company managed to sustain itself. He attributed this resilience to the transformation in holiday patterns, as people now prefer having one massive holiday as opposed to numerous small breaks.
A May 2024 survey by Fáilte Ireland highlighted the contrast in growth between Dublin businesses and those in the rest of Ireland. Roughly half of the firms in Dublin saw an increase in customer activity as compared to the previous year, whilst this was the case for just over a quarter of enterprises in other parts of the country.
Mr Hylan noted that while Carrolls’ Irish retail market is near saturation, there has been successful expansion in the American and Canadian markets via its online platform. Plans for further enlargement of its online operations, with thoughts on opening foreign branches, are underway.
Carrolls, with the launch of this store, now runs 21 outlets across numerous locations in Ireland such as Belfast, Cork, Galway, and Kilkenny. The company takes pride in locally crafting around 86% of its products last year.
Lease agreement for the College Green site was concluded in March 2024. This premier store will be spread over two floors. A novel “store-in-store concept” will be introduced, announced Mr Hylan, with Carrolls collaborating with diverse companies such as Guinness to supply stock.