Carraig Donn Wins REI Fashion Retailer Of The Year 2024!

Carraig Donn Golden Island Athlone were crowned as the Best Fashion Retailer in Ireland at the prestigious Retail Excellence Ireland Awards which was held at the Galmont Hotel, Galway on Saturday November 2nd.

Over 550 retail professionals gathered for the annual Black-Tie Ball to celebrate the best in class of Irish Retail.The event, which was hosted by Hector Ó hEochagáin, saw extreme competition, in every category, with the best being honoured on the night. 

The Retail Excellence Ireland Awards, which have been running for the last 25 years, pride themselves on a rigorous adjudication process for the highly sought after REI Awards. Retailers from all over Ireland apply for various categories such as Fashion, Gifts, Jewellery, Furniture, Sustainability, and eCommerce Awards.

Stage one sees a shortlist of the Top 100 Retailers following a mystery audit from retail experts Customer Perceptions. Stage two comprises of an intense review of the top one hundred stores with emphasis on what sets the store apart as well as customer service values, experience, product offering, unique selling points, sustainability efforts, store fit and more. Following this selection, Retail Excellence Ireland published the Top 30 Stores last September. The final stage comprised of an onsite inspection from renowned retail guru, Matthew Brown, of Echo Chamber, leading to the winners of each category being honoured at the electric awards ceremony.

Carraig Donn need no introduction with a nationwide spread of forty-three stores across Ireland as well as their multi-million online platform www.carraigdonn.com. The award is a welcomed boost for the well-known retailer who embark on their 60th year in business in 2025 and is a credit to all involved.

Carraig Donn was formed in 1965 by the late Máire Hughes. Today, Máire’s son Pat Hughes, remains as the driving force of the company and has been at the helm for over 50 years. Carraig Donn has grown exponentially over the years and now employs over six hundred employees. Carraig Donn’s headquarters is based on the Lodge Road in Westport and is shared with its sister company, the renowned knitwear manufacturer, Aran Woollen Mills, which is headed up by Vincent Hughes. Carraig Donn appeals to the modern Irish consumers with the extensive offering of trending fashion, jewellery, lifestyle gifting and homewares.

The winning store for Carraig Donn is in the heart of the Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone. A brand-new store of over three thousand square feet, the retail emporium which opened in July 2022, offers a unique shopping experience. The Carraig Donn buying team, who source globally, strive to offer exclusive brands and products at amazing prices for the Irish customer which you cannot get anywhere else.

The new architectural designed retail space provides a feast for the eyes with the vibrant fashion department, inspiring gift & home displays and enticing jewellery and accessories collections. The lavish space setting and impressive birch chessboard ceiling feature, provide an upmarket shopping experience complete with exceptional customer service from the established store team who have worked for the retailer for many years.

Community engagement is key for local Carraig Donn stores. The Athlone team regularly host customer events in store with VIP guests and social media stars in attendance. The popular Customer Loyalty Programme provides digital communication methods for the store to stay connected and provide information on customer events, new product launches, news, services and more.

Carraig Donn plan to celebrate the award in style with an exciting programme of exciting programme of events planned. Watch out for a special celebration weekend promotion this weekend from November 7th to 10th in Stores Nationwide and online at www.carraigdonn.com.

The Carraig Donn Golden Island Shopping Centre Management Team (right to left), Vicky Bendoraityte Store Manager, Geraldine Kenny, Senior Sales Advisor, Anne Harrison Buying Director, Michaela Blagriff Store Assistant Manager, Claire Daly KPMG Sponsors of the Best Fashion Retailer Award.