Meeting the needs of the modern consumer at Lunney’s Daybreak

Up until 2004, the site owned by the Lunney family, on the outskirts of Carrick-on-Shannon, was a small filling station. With the addition of a convenience store and deli, the shop served the local community well for over a decade until the owners took the decision to really drive the business forward.

Teaming up with Musgrave, last year the modest convenience store received a full Daybreak re-fit complete with its modern deli format, Munch & Co. and famous 9 Grams coffee offering.

“We’re on the edge of the Carrick-on-Shannon, which is a growing and vibrant town, so we really needed to revamp the business to meet our customers’ expectations,” says owner Carmel. “Musgrave was able to help us fill those expectations very well; they really listened to what we wanted and were easy to work with.”

Since the store launched its new look in October 2018, Carmel reports that footfall has increased dramatically, especially within the food to go category.

“The deli was a huge deciding factor for us in partnering with Musgrave,” she says. “This was a side of the business that we really wanted to develop, and we knew there was a lot of potential.”

Daybreak’s Munch & Co. deli gives its retail partners the freedom to offer their customers both hot and cold meal solutions, from more conventional items like chicken fillet rolls to creative options that fit a range of dietary requirements. At Lunney’s Daybreak the introduction of a healthy salad bar and more vegetarian and vegan lines have been a resounding success with its customers.

“The new salad range has been fantastic for us and has really helped to drive increased female footfall. Traditionally you would see more men coming into the deli for breakfast and lunch, but our new product range has changed our customer profile.”

Daybreak Lunney’s customers aren’t likely to get bored either, with Carmel praising Musgrave’s dedication to developing new products.

“There is a great Fresh Food team within Daybreak and their product range is excellent. For example, they’re constantly updating their bakery range to help us drive coffee sales.”

Introducing the brand’s 9 Grams offering, alongside the high-performing Munch & Co. deli, has been a colossal success at this site. Located on the busy N4 going in and out of Carrick-on-Shannon, the store has experienced a boost in customers stopping off simply for the quality of the coffee offering.

Despite initial reservations about introducing an unfamiliar coffee brand to the store’s loyal customer base, Carmel believes the transition couldn’t have gone any smoother.

“Anybody who changes their coffee brand is nervous about whether their customers will adapt but the response we’ve had has been outstanding. Visually the 9 Grams coffee bar looks great and has a huge impact when you walk into the store. More importantly, it’s great coffee which is backed up by the huge lift in sales we have been experiencing.”

While customers will notice the updated product offering and branding refresh, the other big change for the store’s owners is in the back office.

“Now that we work with Musgrave everything is a lot more streamlined,” says Carmel. “In terms of ordering deliveries and electronic billing it’s much easier for us.

“Everything has been very positive since we made the decision to move to Daybreak.  We now have a vast range with something different to offer our customers that other stores in the area aren’t doing. Our customers can really see the difference, and this is shown in our sales and our footfall.”