Past
Padraic Tuffy began his working life working in retail establishments owned by members of his extended family and, at a young age, moved to Ballina to work in a grocery shop in the middle of Ballina. At a young age he purchased a van and learned to drive (in that order!), rented a premises and began to distribute grocery products in Mayo and Sligo. He then bought a site on the outskirts of Ballina and built his own shop and storeroom, above which he, his wife, Maureen, and their family lived for many years.
Over the years the business grew substantially and the premises was extended on many occasions to cater for the increased need for storage space. Adjoining land was purchased and new facilities built. Padraic retired from the business when he had a severe stroke in 1996. Thankfully, two of his sons, Brian and Seamus were working in the business at that time and they, together with John, continue to run the business to this day. In March 2013, when the Ballina premises burned to the ground, the company were able to continue to service the customers using the facilities of its subsidiary company, Clonlara Wholesale Distributors Ltd , in County Clare. The company moved to its current location in June 2013- a 60,000sq ft. warehouse in Collooney, Co. Sligo from which it continues to trade.
Present
Padraic Tuffy Ltd is a successful, Irish-owned and entrepreneurial company, which has changed and expanded with the times. We continue to expand on the foresight shown by our founder, Padraic Tuffy. The company takes pride in its level of personal service and this continues to be a central aspect of the business.
We are a proud member of the highly regarded wholesale group, Stonehouse Marketing Limited, having been one of the founding members of this group and its predecessor, NWGA. We are also proud members of Gala Retail Services Ltd of which we also were a founding member. Through our membership of the boards of these companies and various committees we take an active role in the management and the direction of these organisations.
The company is extremely strong in both Retail & Foodservice activities. Through our retail franchise, Gala, we provide stores with a one stop shop solution for all of their buying needs. We are currently the company servicing the largest number of Gala stores in the country. We have significant buying power allowing us to successfully serve the independent retail market. Through our ownership and operation of a number of Gala stores we understand and respond effectively to retailers requirements and concerns.
Our customers also include food service operations such as restaurants, hotels and fast food outlets, as well as organizations like schools, universities, and hospitals. This is a fast growing market and we continually evolve with the requirements of the market.
We continually strive to be the best at what we do and this is shown through our achievement of Gold Standard awards, every year at the annual Stonehouse Awards ceremony.
The Tuffy group has seen many changes in the industry but by keeping the firm family values of outstanding service and quality products, we continue to grow and maintain our place as an outstanding choice for our customers needs
Our Brands
Our excellent customer service has enabled us to build up a large portfolio of loyal customers.
