Paul Collins of Collins XL Athea has won a Green/Sustainability County Award from Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Limerick. He participated in the Green for Business support scheme from LEO Limerick which has helped his store reduce waste and energy consumption, whilst at the same time driving down costs.
Paul is the second generation of the Collins family to run the family-owned business established by his grandparents JP and Mary, in the 1950s. Over the past 70-odd years the business has sold almost everything including builders’ supplies, animal feed, petrol and diesel, paints, wallpapers, souvenirs, gifts and groceries. They also operated a pub for many enjoyable years. In more recent times the business is firmly focused on convenience retailing.
Collins XL provides important community services such as an ATM facility, Bill Pay services, Parcel Depot and they have recently added a reverse vending machine to participate in the new Deposit Return Scheme.
One of the key attributes that customers value is the quality of their products and they make a point of buying from local suppliers as much as possible, such as Kearney’s Bakery and meat providers Jimmy Shanahan and Toddy McMahon, along with stocking items such as Athea Pudding, Tourna-fulla Free Range Eggs and Athea 100% Irish Raw Honey.
“The continuous increase in the cost of doing business is a massive challenge for small retailers. The Green for Business programme through the Local Enterprise Office Limerick was very helpful.
“I received some great advice on where to gain some efficiencies and how to adopt greener and more sustainable practices. I would encourage anyone to take part in it”.
He concluded: “The reason for our longevity is that we are always looking to develop and improve the business to provide the best offering possible for our customers.”