Mayo business Togher Tyres' success is down to loyal customers
By Tom Gillespie
BREAFFY Road in Castlebar has, in recent years, become a hub of activity as more and more industries and businesses have set up at the location.
Such progress has seen a boon for multi award winning Togher Tyres who just celebrated 42 years in the tyre business.
The family-run firm were named national tyre retailer of the year for six years, as well as scooping six Connaught/Ulster titles.
Joe and his wife Eileen employ 12, including his brother Micheal, their own son Damian, and nephew Padraig.
Joe said: “When we moved out to the Breaffy Road there was not a lot on Breaffy Road. The whole place has developed since with the business park.
“There is an awful lot of traffic on this road. We are busier all the time and keeping on top of it is tough. Out on this road things have got so busy which has obviously helped grow our business.
“We are a business that you drive into; appointments we do not do. It would not work in our business.
“We built the front building 25 years ago with our seven bays where we do cars and light commercials and 4x4s and where our delivery base is located. Down the back we do the commercial trucks and this side of the business has been growing but it can be a bit more difficult to do at times - however, we do the best we can.”
Joe added: “We have upgraded our machinery and vans. We have won numerous awards. Now it is hard work to keep on top of it. But we have great lads here, we would not have a business without them and indeed without our good and loyal customers.”
Togher Tyres, who carry all types of tyres, including agricultural, was launched on St. Patrick’s Day 1983, and Joe admitted: “It is very hard to get staff in order to progress and keep going, but everybody is in the same boat.
“Over the years we have had great customers and many of them have passed away but they are not forgotten.”
Getting supplies on a continuous basis poses a problem at times for Joe and his staff. He explained: “The price of stuff is getting more expensive. We don’t have much trouble with Brexit as we get a lot of stuff from Holland and from wholesalers in Ireland.
“A lot of the new electric vehicles have newer sized tyres and we need to be up to date with that. A lot of them you cannot get in this country but we source them and get them.
“We would carry an awful of stock for EVs. The EV tyres are a lot more expensive that the normal tyre.
“We have invested in our business over the years. We haven’t stood still. This is no shabby building. We built something that has blended in. You can’t have a shabby building facing the main road. We blend in with the other businesses.”
He addd: "When people go to garages they have to book in and maybe wait a few weeks but we do it on demand.
“It is great the facilities that are on the Breaffy Road now. Customers can now go to Mulroy’s for a coffee or go to Costa Coffee. To me to have that kind of service beside me has eased the pressure on us as customers can relax over a coffee and we can get on with the job of looking after their vehicle.”
Customer loyalty, he said, has been the bedrock of his success for 42 years.
He added: “In 1986 we purchased a site on the Breaffy Road from Joe Mulroy Contractors and we built the first place of our own.
“We had two bays and an office. We had three or four lifts inside so that we could work with five or six different vehicles at a time. The business kept building from there.
Joe’s first job was selling papers for Lilly McDonnell on Tucker Street.
He said: “I would go in at 4.30 to five o’clock to collect the Evening Press and Evening Herald and my job was to go out and sell the papers in shops, pubs and restaurants.
“We were born in New Line across from Peter Dever’s Lone Star Filling Station. I was filling petrol and diesel there and fixing punctures by hand. I remember doing one for the late Brendan Grace and Joe Dolan.”
Joe Togher has the most modern equipment in his workshop.“We renew our equipment regularly, every four to five years,” he said. “We have seven bays and it costs over €60,000 a bay for equipment.
“We have pioneered the style and a lot of people from around the country have come to see what we have done here. They were in from Spain from Bridgestone to see what we have done.”
Joe went to school in St. Patrick’s National School and at the vocational school where he did not wait long. “After a year I ran out the door,” he admitted.
Joe’s late father, John, used to drive a truck for Loughran’s of Turlough and his contacts on the road helped Joe along and brought in a lot of business.
Joe told me: “We have always advertised with The Connaught Telegraph, as far back as 1983 with P.J. Hennelly.”
Togher Tyres is located at Breaffy Road, Castlebar, and can be contacted on (094) 9023531. They operate 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.