 | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Genre | Department stores |
| Founded | 1864 in Mountmellick [1] |
| Founder | Henry Shaw [1] |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 16 [2] (2025) |
Area served | Ireland |
Key people | Jonathan Shaw (managing director) [3] , Conrad Digan (CEO) [4] |
| Revenue | €70.5 million [5] (2024) |
| €847,687 [5] (2024) | |
Number of employees | 702 [5] (2024) |
| Website | shaws |
Shaws Department Stores is an Irish department store chain founded by Henry Shaw in 1864. It began as a small drapery shop in Mountmellick, County Laois. [1] The business was operated by Henry Shaw and his wife, Annie. [6] After opening shops in Portlaoise and Athy, the business was registered as a limited company in 1934. [7]
During the early to mid 20th century, the business was controlled by William Henry Shaw and then Samuel Shaw. [8] In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, brothers Mervyn, Trevor and Billy Shaw controlled the business. [9]
Shaws opened a shop in Carlow in 1949. [10] In the mid 20th century, the business also expanded into Waterford, Roscrea, Fermoy and Limerick. [11]
In the 1970s, Shaws opened a shop in Dungarvan. It later opened a second shop in the town, which primarily stocked electrical products. In 2024, the electrical shop was closed. [12]
In 1976, Shaws acquired the Haddens department store chain, with the Carlow shop remaining under the Haddens name but the shops in Wexford, Dungarvan and Carlow being rebranded as Shaws. [13] [14] In 1984, Haddens in Carlow was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in the following years. [15]
Between 2003 and 2008, the business opened new shops in Wexford, Carlow, Castlebar, Drogheda and Ballina. [16]
In 2013, the business moved to a new 20,000 square foot shop in Portlaoise, closing one of its earliest locations, which had operated for 109 years. [17]
During the 2010s, a dispute arose among the Shaw family in relation to the control of the business. The dispute was ultimately settled in March 2016, with the chairman and a number of directors and family members leaving the business. [18]
In late 2024, the business opened a shop in Athlone. [19]
As of 2025, the business has 16 shops throughout Ireland, employees over 700 people, and continues to be owned by the Shaw family. [20] The current managing director is Jonathan Shaw, grandson of Samuel Shaw. [21]