The third generation of the Casey family have been good custodians of Cork’s premier furniture retailer, writes Kathleen O’Callaghan

When John Casey established his furniture shop on Marlborough Street in Cork in 1921, his timing was opportune. Had he opened his doors a year earlier, his venture might have been destroyed by rampaging Crown forces in the infamous Burning of Cork on the night of 11-12 December 2020.

In a revenge attack, Auxiliaries, Black and Tans and British soldiers used incendiary bombs to start a firestorm that destroyed over 40 business premises and around 300 homes.

“It was a traumatic time when people lost their homes and belongings,” says David Casey, the founder’s grandson. “As the city got back on its feet, there was an increased demand for a quality furniture shop.”

A century on and Caseys Furniture is in fine fettle. The retailer relocated to 65 Oliver Plunkett Street in 1926 and is still there today. Its geographic ambition has stretched no further than a single further outlet in Limerick, opened in 2005. 

And as well the shop locations and online, from 2017 the retailer has operated from a new warehouse premises on the Sitecast Industrial Estate in Pouladuff.

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Company ownership has passed seamlessly from the founder to the third generation, who have branched out through acquiring and renting commercial properties. Brothers Peter Casey (54) and David Casey (51) took charge from their father Jim Casey in 1996.

At the time John Casey Ltd had a net worth of €1.1m. By January 2020, the trading company’s net worth had expanded to €10.8m, while net worth at parent company DP Casey Holdings Ltd was €8.6m. Peter is the managing director and chief buyer, while David concentrates on sales and marketing.

Covid Closure

Remarkably for a company that was founded in the dark days of the Civil War and survived the Great Depression, numerous recessions, and frequent floods, it took the Covid pandemic to force Caseys to close its doors for the first time, albeit temporarily.

“It was a very emotional day for all of us and the staff,” David recalls. “It felt unimaginable for our employees, many of whom had never missed a day’s work in their lives. The uncertainty and the unpredictability of it all affected everyone. We pre-empted the government’s directive to shut non-essential business in order to protect our staff and customers.

“Over the lockdown period we concentrated on our online presence and ploughed resources into website and internet sales. The staff were redeployed in these areas too. The good thing about furniture retail is that people really like to browse through a furniture range on their computers or phones so they have an idea what they might want and what is affordable.”

Margins in furniture retail are chunky. At John Casey Ltd, the gross margin in consistently around 48%, and in the 2019/20 financial period the company booked an operating profit of €1.5m on €16m turnover. Excluding directors, average annual pay for 74 employees in 2019/20 was €34,600, and the company contribution to the DC pension scheme was €39,000.

Before the pandemic, annual turnover growth at Caseys Furniture was c.5% per annum, indicating a very loyal customer base. David Casey believes the brand strength is about being accessible, reliable and delivering the very best customer experience.

“Our customers have been wonderful throughout the pandemic, supporting us through the toughest of times,” he says. “We offer lots of choice and high quality pieces, and we don’t deviate from our commitment to deliver the best furniture with excellent service. We employ all our delivery drivers and also own the fleet of vans that transport the goods. So we know that our customers will be looked after every step of the way.”

The Casey team are also mindful of how they deliver, and will assemble everything from couches to beds and tables. They also remove all the packaging and recycle any old furniture being replaced. According to Peter Casey (pictured above), sustainability is high on the retailer’s agenda.

“We ensure that the products we sell are made from the finest materials that can be recycled. Even the factories where our furniture is sourced must be sustainable by using solar panelling, engage in waste recycling and conserve energy as much as possible,” explains Peter. “We have a new range of three-piece suites that are made out of recycled plastic, and they feel like luxury fabric.”

In the recent past, furniture has become cheaper for consumers. According to the Central Statistics Office, in August 2021 the average price of furnishings was 17% lower than five years ago. However, due to Covid and other factors, the supply chain has slowed down. At the start of every year, Caseys typically has purchase deposits from customers of c.€1.8m, and David Casey says customers are ordering now for delivery in 2022.

To celebrate the centenary anniversary, Caseys replicated old sepia photos of their original furniture delivery vehicle — a horse and cart parked out on the street (pictured above). The photos feature Jimmy O’Shea, who began working in Caseys as an apprentice with his father Con O’Shea over 50 years ago. The shop even retains the original frontage over the door in black and gold letters.

There are six siblings in the family, and David and Peter are the sole shareholders in the family firm. Jim Casey passed away two years ago but the brothers’ mother Joan Casey (80) has been participating in the centenary celebrations.

So is there another generation of Caseys coming along to assume responsibility when David and Peter put their feet up on tufted footstools?

“We won’t persuade any of our children to follow in our footsteps, as that is entirely their own choice,” says Peter. “However we would love to see the store lasting another hundred years under the right management. We are a big family at Caseys, and very lucky to have multiple generations of tradespeople and retail staff work with the company over the past 100 years.”

And the secret of family business longevity? “Work hard and treat people how you would like to be treated,” states David.

Pix: Miki Barlok