Carrickfergus-based equestrian retailer Old Mill Saddlery has invested €1.9m in a new warehouse and a wind turbine on its site.

The investment, aimed at assisting the company’s continued growth, has been part-funded by Danske Bank.

The Covid pandemic benefited the equestrian firm, which says it found sales increasing 'exponentially.

Hence the investment in a second warehouse, which uses robotic sorting and picking technology from Geek+, which builds AI-based autonomous mobile robots.

The warehouse is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland, and is complemented by a new wind turbine which has boosted Old Mill’s use of renewable energy to 97% of its entire consumption.

In Association with

Managing director Robert Patton said: “The strength of our business comes from our core values, providing our customers with a quality shopping experience, outstanding customer care and selling quality products at excellent value.

“During lockdown, we struggled a lot with staffing issues as our business got increasingly busy. To ensure we were continuing to deliver the best service possible, we had to come up with a solution.
 
“The automated warehouse system has led our business to be more efficient than ever, ensuring we can keep up with the demand, get our products out on time and supply our goods even further afield. We mainly supply to the UK, Ireland and Europe, but we are hopeful the new system will give us the capacity to expand our business worldwide.”

Established in 1985, Old Mill Saddlery supplies horse tack such as saddles and bridles, horse care and grooming products, riding wear and more for disciplines such as racing, eventing, dressage and show jumping.

Danske Bank business acquisition manager Mark Brown added: “Introducing robotics into this traditional retail setting highlights Old Mill Saddlery’s commitment to innovation and excellence and will help future-proof the business as it seeks to maintain its position as a leader in the industry and achieve its expansion plans.

“It’s great to see the business’s commitment to sustainability, too, and we’re delighted to have been able to support this."