H Williams (supermarket)

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H Williams was a supermarket chain in Ireland which originated as a grocer/tea importer that became a registered company in March 1894 with a listing on the Dublin Stock Exchange. [1]

In 1959 it opened the first supermarket in Ireland, in Dublin's Henry Street. [2] Though publicly listed on the Dublin Stock Exchange for many years, the Quinn-McArdle family controlled its board and provided most of its senior management. [3] In the early 1980s it was sold to a its managing director, John Quinn, and property developer Finbarr Holland. In 1986 Tesco sold their Irish operation to H Williams for £17 million. [4]

H Williams collapsed in 1987, following a price war that led to the 1987 amendment to the Groceries Order in an effort to protect the market from further concentration. [5] The former H Williams supermarkets were sold to other supermarket chains. H Williams' head office was situated in Dundrum, Dublin.

Other Dublin stores included ones located in Rathmines, Terenure, Tallaght (now a Lidl) and Killester. Outside Dublin, there was a store in Mullingar [6] – the present-day Fairgreen Shopping Centre is located on its former site as well as a store in Tullamore which was purchased by and still operates as a Dunnes Stores.

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References

  1. The Stock Exchange Official Intelligence. London: Spottoswoode, Ballantyne & Company, Limited. 1912. p. 891.
  2. Oram, Hugh (July 24, 2017). "Gone shopping – An Irishman's Diary on Dublin's old grocery shops". Irish Times .
  3. "Quinn, John James". Dictionary of Irish Biography. February 2016.
  4. Parker, Aj (1 March 1986). "Tesco leaves Ireland". Retail and Distribution Management. 14 (3): 16–20. doi:10.1108/eb018304 . Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  5. "Restrictive Practices (Groceries) Order 1987 - A Review and Report of Public Consultation Process". enterprise.gov.ie. Government of Ireland. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  6. "Future of Mullingar H. Williams Store". Westmeath Examiner . 1987-11-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-08-08 via Irish Newspaper Archives.