Penneys For Your Thoughts

Andrew Murray at the new Penneys Bray… WEDS17JULY24

winging by for a quick private tour of Penneys 24 hours before it finally opens its Bray Central doors this morning felt an awful lot like the night before Christmas.

The excitement wasn’t just among the 100-plus staff inside the brand, spanking new 19,600 square feet store but outside there was a constant flow of shiny, happy people too, peering in through the front door glass for a glimpse of the town’s long-awaited Holy Grail.

The whole of Bray has been chomping at the bit – as has the rest of the county – ever since Penneys announced it would be opening its first Wicklow store.

Founder Arthur Ryan

That announcement was, as far as we can remember, back in September 1987. Or was it 1986…?

“It was actually back at the beginning of 2023,” smiles manager Andrew Murray, a 35-year veteran of Penneys who even worked alongside its founder, the late Arthur Ryan. “And we definitely took a little longer than people expected. The simple fact is, we only open our doors when we have everything exactly right, from making sure the shelves are all well-stocked to ensuring that the staff are happy and ready to roll.

“Of the 105 people needed to run this store, 91 of them are new to Penneys. So, we had them work in our other branches, to get an idea of how everything, from the tills to customer care, works in Penneys. We have a reputation to live up to…”

Indeed. And it’s a reputation that has seen Penneys become one of Ireland’s greatest success stories, that very first store on Mary Street – which opened on June 13th, 1969 – now joined by 37 others across the country. And globally, Penneys are aiming to have 530 stores open from Boston to Budapest by the end of 2026.

And a big part of that growth is changing with the times, in 2021 Penneys launching a sustainability strategy that sets targets to reduce textile waste, halving CO2 emissions. Their €4m Bray store even has a recycling drop-off for pre-loved clothes – ‘whatever the brand or condition‘ – with all profits going to UNICEF.

The level of anticipation in Bray for today’s opening became obvious to Andrew earlier this week when he took a walk around the town, his Penneys name badge hanging around his neck.

“I was stopped just about everywhere I went,” he laughs. “It was like being part of Taylor Swift’s road crew, there were so many people asking about the big day, and generally being delighted that Penneys was finally opening here.”

It’s an opening that will not only affect Penneys’ immediate neighbours in Bray Central but the town itself, as people travel from all over the county to buy entire new wardrobes for each member of the family, luggage for the holiers and accessories to transform the living room, and still have change from a tenner.

And reflecting the fever pitch for Thursday’s opening, the nearby Boomerang Bar have organised a Penneys Party for 4pm. Which is a first for Andrew.

“We can’t wait to open those doors and welcome everyone in,” he finishes. “We know we’re ready for Bray – and we reckon Bray is very much ready for us…”

Penneys Bray opens on Thursday, July 18th at 10am, and then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday 9am-7pm, Thursday and Friday 9am-9pm and Sundays 11am-7pm.