Troubled grocery store is back open
THE doors of Corrigan’s Londis in Kilmuckridge were reopened on Saturday morning, almost four weeks after the store was repossessed by a company acting on behalf of Deloitte receiver.
A large handmade sign declaring the shop ‘open’ now replaces the ‘Corrigan’s’ and ‘Londis’ signs that sat above the doors until last week. Otherwise, it was business as usual for the members of the 22-strong team of staff, who were refilling the shelves with stock from the early hours of Saturday morning.
Speaking to this newspaper on Monday, a garda spokesperson said that they had not been made aware of the store’s reopening.
He went on to say that they have no involvement in the matter other than to prevent a possible breach of the peace should another order be served by the High Court.
The supermarket was closed on September 21 by a security company acting on behalf of the receiver Deloitte – a move that gardai said was on foot of a High Court order. A garda cordon was in place around Kilmuckridge to prevent any breach of the peace as stock was removed from the store.
In a statement issued at the time of the closure, Mr Hugh Corrigan questioned the enforceability of the order. He stated that the private company Melphia Enterprises Ltd (MEL) has ‘ leased and operared this premises since October 2013 and has seven years left to run on the present lease. MEL has no involvement in any alleged receivership matters; MEL is a very profitable fast-growing business employing 22 full and part time employees; MEL has paid its rent up and including to December 21 2016 and is entitled to be operating this business without the interference of any other parties.’