Eddie's
December 30, 2009Eddie Battersby, coming from a market gardening background in north county Dublin started his trade in 1975 at the age of fourteen in John Collins Shop, Shop Street, Drogheda. He spent ten years there and moved on to Wogans builders providers until 1989.
In October 1989, he opened his own builders providers in the old jail on Scarlet Street with a staff of four and in his wildest dreams he never thought that fifteen years later he would sell his business to Heiton Buckley for the incredible sum of 14 million euro.
Still known as Eddie's Hardware to this day, looking at it now, many will feel it was a masterstroke from Eddie to sell when he did, but the company he built from scratch is still going strong today even in these difficult times.
Noel, who is a native of Slane, Co. Meath, has been with Eddie's Hardware since May 1990. Since Eddies retirement in '07, Noel oversees operations at the Scarlet Street, Drogheda-based company, where there are 21 staff employed.
He feels the main reason for this continued success is due to the combined team effort, commitment & experience of all the staff from office, shop, yard to lorry drivers.
"All of our staff are very committed and working hard to make sure Eddie's Hardware keeps ahead of its competitors," explained Noel.
Heiton Buckley have themselves been bought out by the Grafton Group and are now by far the biggest builders merchants & DIY providers in Ireland. The company has branches located across Ireland to provide a full service to the building, repair and maintenance sectors.
Over the years, Heiton Buckley has been committed to providing the highest standards of customer care and quality products at competitive prices. This combination of products, branch network, service and industry expertise and experience allows the company to provide for the complete needs of the construction and related industries in Ireland.
From day one, Eddie Battersby and co always looked like an outfit which were heading straight to the top when it comes to supplying hardware and DIY products to their customers in Drogheda (and beyond). As they relied a lot on local business, they found local advertising very successful especially LMFM radio. Our well known jingle "Eddies hardware, the people who care" is now known all across the North East.
"When we first opened I remember there was a real push to make the business a success," said Noel. "We where the first hardware in the town to open from 8.00am to 6.00pm and stay open through lunch. We had one pick-up truck, but as the months and years went on the business grew and grew and we found ourselves with three trucks on the road and doing a real nice business."
The Eddie's Hardware sign still sits above the front door which Heiton Buckley have gracefully decided to keep in respect of the man who started such a successful business 20 years ago.
Today, Eddie Battersby describes his career as "a fairytale" which he could never have imagined happening when he first started working in the hardware trade as a teenager back in 1975.
"It was a great day on the 9th of October 1989, when we opened the doors of Eddies Hardware on a rented piece of the old jail in Drogheda which we bought shortly after," said Eddie.
"In 1999 we bought the remainder of the jail which was owned by CIE Bus and by November that year we had re-organized the whole premises and built a new superstore. In the first year of business 1989, we had a turnover of 1 million which grew to 11 million by 2004 with a staff of 30 employees," he added.
An impressive rate of turnover in the space of 15 years, and Eddie was willing to share the profits when GAA clubs came knocking on his door. From what he recalls, there wasn't a club around Drogheda that he didn't oblige with sponsorship or some sort of funding. When they asked, they received from Eddie's Hardware.
"We supported Louth and Meath football whenever the company was able to do so," he stated.
"We gave sponsorship to clubs in Louth like St. Fechins, Newtown Blues, Oliver Plunketts, Glen Emmets, Naomh Mairtin, The Dreadnoughts, Wolfe Tones, O'Raghallaighs, St. Nicholas' and Mattock Rangers to name but a few.
We sponsored Golf Classics and other club fundraisers down the years, but we tried not to devote money to just one club, because we didn't want to choose one over the other.
"As well as that, a few years ago we paid to bring a Louth full-back home from London to play an inter-county game, if my memory serves me correctly."
Business was certainly booming in those times and Eddie was willing to share in his hard-earned success, which will always be remembered.
To be a leading builders provider it takes a lot of hard work and you must carry a huge range of materials. Eddies Hardware sells everything you need to build your house right from start to finish. Foundation mesh, insulation, timber, slates you name it, they have it and then for inside they can provide you with doors, timber floors, paint, bathroom suites, and all your DIY needs. It is a fantastic store which is well worth a visit.
Eddie is currently settling into his retirement, he has written a book on his amazing journey called "SEE THIS HERE BOY" and it can be bought on line at www.eddiebattersby.com, all profits are going to his three charities; The Irish Heart Foundation, The Irish Epilepsy Association and The Irish Association for Spina Bifida, or you can buy it at Eddies Hardware, Scarlet Street where things are looking up, rather than down.
Good news for everyone involved; not to mention those clubs which have availed of their generosity down the years. Tweet
