The Story So Far
TheGAAStore .com is the largest GAA specific website online today. Already working in GAA sports retail, Padraic made the observation that no-one was offering a comprehensive range of GAA product online. He decided to leave the security of paid employment to go it alone, and so TheGAAStore.com was born. Setting up any business involves a financial investment. Family always comes
first with Padraic so it was no surprise that he sought the assistance of his brother-in-law Noel Hegarty, and his future father-in-law, John OโMahony. Padraic, Noel and John remain today as the three directors and owners of the company. It was not long before a suitable premises needed to be found โ it became clear very early that the spare bedroom in Padraicโs mumโs house would not be adequate. Padraicโs dad, P.J. immediately offered land adjacent to the family home and construction got under way. โWe were spending our days building website sales, and our evenings building our premises in those early daysโ, says Padraic McKeever. โWe have all had to roll up our sleeves and muck in on many occasions to get to where we are todayโ. As awareness of our website increased, we also had a lot of interest from people in our own local area (Co. Armagh, Ireland) โ it became apparent that there was also an opportunity to develop a small specialist GAA retail shop. A second staff member was appointed and a retail space was created within our warehouse. โIt was great to see people coming into our new shopโ, says Padraic. โWe had the goods in stock in any case for our internet customers โ we were suddenly able to increase sales with very little investment which allowed us to drive our business on to the next levelโ. The business continued to flourish during 2005 and 2006, and in mid-2007, it was clear that additional staff were required. Padraic was keen that those who own the business, and to whom it matters most, would be involved in the day to day running of the business. He approached Noel Hegarty to see if he would come on board. Noel says โI suppose the timing was perfect for me. I was working as a Quantity Surveyor in Belfast and my wife Deirdre is a teacher. We then had three young children (now four!) and either myself or my wife needed the flexibility to be there for both work and family. Living so close to the business, I knew I could give 100% to both masters so coming on board was an easy decision to makeโ. As our systems improved (purchasing, stock control, despatch, shipping), so our sales continued to increase. Website and shop sales were now being complimented by bulk equipment and teamwear sales. โBulk sales direct to teams is a competitive marketplaceโ, says Noel. โHowever, they are generally high value orders. We strive to give all our customers an excellent shopping experience โ we offer an inhouse embroidery and printing service, which allows us to control quality and to turn around bulk orders quickly. At this stage, we have picked up many repeat orders and are so grateful for the loyalty our customers continue to show usโ. The business felt that there was room for another โbrandโ of GAA product, and in particular Gaelic Footballs and Sliotars, in the marketplace. After much debate, it was decided to run with Padraicโs surname โMcKeeverโ for the brand name. The launch of our McKeever brand in 2009 was a proud moment for the business, and, in particular, seeing our ball in use in the Ulster Championship in May โ this being the highest level of competition in the country. This brand has gone from strength to strength with our balls having been used at all levels both in mens and ladies, juvenile and senior. โMcKeeverโ playing kit and leisurewear now sits beside our ball range and we have kitted out numerous Club and County teams. Numerous marketing events to promote our business were organised during 2009 and 2010 including advertising (television, newspaper and online) and a series of product tradeshows throughout the country. The high point was our GAA Coaching Masterclass in January 2010. We had 150 GAA Coachโs from all over Ireland in attendance at the event at St. Patrickโs Grammar School, Armagh. Speakers at the event were our own Director, John OโMahony, himself a double Senior Gaelic Football All-Ireland Winning Manager with Galway; GAA legend from Waterville in Kerry, Mick OโDwyer; and Sports Psycologist, Bart McEnroe from County Cavan. A hugely enjoyable day was had by all who were in attendance. During the last couple of years, our business has continued to grow steadily, despite all the economic doom and gloom. We were fortunate to have TheGAAStore featured on the โNationwideโ programme on Irish National Television channel, RTE โ this heightened our profile to a new level here in Ireland. There is a strong ethos of working to support those who support us in our business and so we have sponsored/supported/taken part in many Golf Days, Days at the Races and fund raising dinners โ even going so far as Fashion Shows! We opened our second retail outlet, House of Sport, in May 2012, located in Lurgan, the shop provides an excellent range of branded general sports clothing and equipment. With a running and fitness emphasis, we offer Gait Analysis to assist our customers in their footwear selection. "Sales in the shop are steadily growing and adding this additional sales outlet to our business has been a very worthwhile process", says Padraic. Our staff are the most important piece of the jigsaw and without their dedication, loyalty and drive, we certainly would not have grown to where we are today. Our growing team now numbers 15 people and it continues to grow. We have experienced people in all the key areas allowing things to run smoothly from one year to the next. Looking to the future, the business aim is simple โ โto have the best offering of GAA specific product available online and instore, at the best value and with highest levels of customer service giving the shopper the best possible experience so that they will want to return time and time again without hesitationโ, Padraic says. Email marketing is used as a method of constant contact with our existing customers, with numbers subscribing now in excess of 25,000 people. More recently, we have moved to a new E-commerce platform with a proven track record for success. This has further enhanced the shopping experience and we are already seeing the benefits of this new solution. With our well established supply chain, existing loyal customer base, and new E-commerce platform, we are well placed to continue to grow and we look forward with optimism and enthusiasm.
