Kilkenny-based EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Ltd. is a veritable one-stop shop for all your farming supplies, equestrian accessories, gardening and hardware needs. We met up with managing director George Power to get an insight into this wide-ranging and progressive operation.
EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Limited supply a large selection of products to the farming, gardening and equestrian industries including – but by no means limited to! – a full range of equestrian products, electric fencing, hardware, veterinary products and equipment, milking machine parts and liners, dairy accessories, protective clothing, tools and horse and dog feed needs.
EUROFARM & Garden Supplies was established in 1998 by George Power and his business partner Liam Walsh. George came from a veterinary equipment and animal husbandry background and worked as sales manager for Stockshop Wolseley for 13 years, while Liam boasts a farm machinery engineering background and runs his own manufacturing company, manufacturing grass seed barrows amongst other things.
The business is committed to working with top manufacturers and suppliers to deliver the best quality products at competitive prices. The range of products is expanding all the time to ensure that customers from all over Ireland can benefit from the widest choice and best value for money possible.
Reflecting on the genesis of this impressive business, George notes: “We set up in September, 1998 and were in Barrack Street up until 2012. In March, 2012, we moved to our current location at Loughboy Industrial Estate, just off the Ring Road. The new facility offers us much more space as well as better access and leaves us in a stronger position going forward.
“When I was with Stockshop Wolseley, one of my clients was selling out and myself and Liam bought his business, which we initially called The Farm Store. We were mainly selling milk machines parts but we have since extended the range to supply a host of products to the farming and equestrian markets.
“Electric fencers would be our biggest product and we sell those nationwide, into the 32 counties. We provide customers with everything they need for their fences, including free advice and a good back-up service. We also sell a lot of milking machine parts, liners, tubing as well as teat dips and detergents.”
The range of fencers includes mains fencers, battery fencers, solar fencers and pet fencers with a vast array of accessories also available – batteries, cables, chicken fencing, insulators, reels, gate handles, posts, tools, wire and tape etc.
EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Limited stocks up to 28 different types of electric fencers. “Each brand has a full range within it and we would stock the best from those,” George notes. “We test them all and pick out the best quality and best value products and those are the only ones we stock. We’d have the full range of Cheetah and Forcefield fencers and then pick and choose the best of the rest. All of them come with a minimum twelve-month guarantee and some of them are guaranteed for up to four years. They all come with full instructions but we are also available around the clock to provide any other advice that’s needed prior to, during or after installation.”
A total of five websites are active to highlight the full range of products stocked by EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Limited: eurofarm.ie, electricfencers.ie, milkmachineliners.ie,grassseed.ie (agents for Germinal and PowerSeeds), and tackshop.ie. The latter caters for the vast range of equestrian equipment available, from bits and stirrups, bridles, clippers and blades, to grooming equipment, rugs, saddles, vitamins and supplements, fencers, jumping accessories, clothing (riding jackets and boots, ladies and gents casual jackets, body protectors…) and troughs etc.
In total, in excess of 10,000 items are carried in stock at any given time and these are available for instant dispatch to customers nationwide, from Donegal to Cork and Louth to the Aran Islands. Free delivery is offered on orders over €80 and products will typically be received within 48 hours. All major forms of payment are accepted.
Business has really picked up since we relocated,” George continues. “We have three full-time workers here now plus a number of part-time employees. We’re busy all year around, although there are a lot of seasonal trends and products that will only be needed at certain times of the year.
But the business is steady across the twelve months now due to the wide range of products and markets catered for.
“Our staff are extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of the sectors we serve. Paul Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Systems Management, while Mary O’Toole has a Degree in International Business and a Master’s in Business.”
Not surprisingly, George is confident about the future prospects of EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Limited: “We hope to continue growing our local business in and around Kilkenny and also to get more sales through our internet presence,” he concludes. “Most people in Kilkenny would know us now and we have a very good reputation, which we intend to keep. There’s a lot of local competition in the agri business, however, so it is difficult to increase your market share here – but there is definitely scope to tap into the national market in a bigger way.
“We enjoy dealing with the people who come through our doors; we are experts in what we do and we offer a personal touch. We are here to help with any queries or problems that our customers might have and we are confident that we can give them an excellent product at the right price and with an exceptional back-up service.”
George Power has over three decades of experience of the market he serves and one gets the distinct impression that he’ll be providing his expertise to customers from throughout the land for many more years to come.
EUROFARM & Garden Supplies Limited,
Loughboy Industrial Estate,
Ring Road,
Kilkenny.
Tel: 056 7723199
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 3 No 4, May 2015
