Q&A
Independent Footwear Retailer of the Month
Cheryl Taylor talks to Frank Coffey, owner of Frank Coffey Shoes in Killarney, Ireland Q&A Name: Frank Coffey
Shop: Frank Coffey Shoes, Killarney Town, County Kerry, Ireland.
Brands: Pegada, Mustang. Marco Tozzi, Redz, Lunar Skechers, Hush Puppies and Grisport, to name but a few.
Home town: Killarney, Ireland.
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business?
My father opened his footwear retail shop in the beautiful town of Tralee, County Kerry, in 1976. I worked with my father for many years, learning all about the footwear business. And, in 1988, I opened my own footwear retail shop in Killarney, County Kerry, called Frank Coffey Shoes.
Where are your premises located and how many people do you employ? Do you have a high turnover of staff? Tell us about your shop, the local area, your customers and their requirements? My footwear shop is located on the High Street in Killarney town, we have two employees. Killarney is a very well-known tourist town, with some of the most beautiful lakes and scenic walks in Ireland. We always try to meet our customers’ requirements as best we can. And, we have a great many customers calling on us over 34 years.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business? Tell us about your experiences, the difficulties you have encountered and how you have managed/are managing/trying to overcome these?
The Covid 19 outbreak hit a lot of businesses in our area, as it did in so many other places. Even now, it is still hard to keep the show on the road. But, despite all the hard work, we are now very happy with the result and better still to say, we are still in business!
Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking for business? Was this active during the lockdown? We have an online store:
frankcoffeyshoes.com and we also use social media platforms. Also, yes, we found it very useful while in lockdown to be present online to keep in touch with our cutomers.
What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best selling footwear brands – and why?
I really don’t have best sellers as such. We carry a very good range of 32 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • MARCH/APRIL 2023 DOWNLOAD THE FOOTWEAR TODAY APP NOW SPONSORED BY
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