Galen Weston - Ireland

Ireland

In 1961, after studying business administration at the University of Western Ontario, Galen Weston moved to Dublin to set up a grocery store with his own money. A second location followed and the outlets evolved into the “Powers” chain of supermarkets. Weston found the Irish Republic a land of opportunity:

“Southern Ireland in the early Sixties, in terms of growth, was where the real opportunities existed. The population was coming to Dublin, the European Community was becoming more and more aware of Ireland. Lemass was beginning to take a different perspective upon capital coming into the country and it looked like there was going to be a major opportunity for growth.”

By 1965, Weston’s business had grown to six grocery stores. Four years later, he expanded his business interests with the purchase of a bankrupt department store Todd Burns which he renamed Penneys. Within a year, four more stores opened, all with a similar discount format. Two years later, the first Penneys outside of Dublin was launched, followed by eleven more stores, including one in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Weston married Hilary Frayne, one of Ireland’s top fashion models, in 1966. In the early Seventies, Weston expanded his grocery holdings with the acquisition of competitor Quinnsworth. Weston also purchased an interest in Brown Thomas, the upscale Dublin department store, and eventually acquired full ownership in 1984.