As Donegal gradually emerges from Level 5 lockdown, one of its longest-established pharmacies is continuing to grow its strong community ethos nationwide through its ever-evolving online store.
In 2012 Magees Pharmacy, located on Letterkenny’s Upper Main Street, added an online dimension to their existing business first established in 1928.
And according to Magees owner, Gerard McCormick, the move proved invaluable when the pandemic struck in March, 2020.
“We believe our customers have an expectation that we should have an online presence and that everything that goes on on our shop floors is represented on our website,” Gerard commented.
“We looked at the strength of what our business was. We looked at fragrance and cosmetics in particular and we focused on that along with our photo lab. In fact, since the start of the pandemic our photo lab has moved completely online, as it was the only way to get business.
“This is the tenth year of our online shop which I’ve developed with Orla Robinson and it’s an area in which we have gone from strength to strength. We were in the right place when Covid-19 hit. We had worked hard to get ourselves into a position of knowing what was going out and where it was going to. We also knew our costs very well,” he added.
Looking back to the start of the pandemic 14 months ago, Gerard said it was an extremely intense time.
“Nobody knew what to expect. It was like the world was rocked. Everybody was rocked and the business was rocked. We were very, very lucky our business stayed open because we were an essential retailer. We were very privileged and very lucky because of that. The footfall had disappeared and we could see the interest online increase week on week. We were lucky, too, because we had the stock – we carry good stock levels here. So we were ready for it.”
According to Gerard, the importance of Orla’s role in the development and success of the online shop has been paramount.
“She has the knowledge and she eats, sleeps and breathes it. We work at it together and she understands it. The training that she’s done and is doing has been a huge help. The path that we’ve taken over the last number of years has taken us to the stage of knowing what we were doing and when we had to do it. It was sitting there for us and we could ratchet it up very easily.”
Orla Robinson is marketing and online coordinator at Magees and first began working in the pharmacy over 20 years ago in the photo lab.
“We started the online business in 2012. Trying to grow an online business has been the challenge, as traditionally Magees has been a shop. We are trying to translate the shop into an online business and trying to compete with other brands that are out there. We’re like a big fish in a small pond, but we’re holding our own. It’s taken a long time to get here. Now it’s a matter of maintaining it and growing,” Orla said.
“Our busiest time here, even online, would be Christmas. And that’s what it was like for the first year of the pandemic with putting out orders. We were updating the website to provide more services to people that couldn’t get out and come to the store. We introduced a click and collect system, set up a phone order service for people and had a prescriptions’ delivery service which was run on a voluntary basis to reach out to the community.
“The ethos of Magees is about the community. We are community based and it’s about the community. The ethos is the same online, but we’re trying to reach nationwide as well.
“Nothing stands still in the online world. Thanks to the support of Tech North West Skillnet, I’m currently doing a professional diploma in social media marketing at UCD. Only for Skillnet, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do the course. It’s a great course and gives the up-to-date information on all social media outlets and how to manage them. I’ve picked up plenty of tips on how to use them well since the course began,” she added.
Tech Northwest Skillnet is the multi-sector business network for companies of all sizes in the north west focused on technology and innovation. Established in 2011, the network is supported by Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
Orla is always keen to keep up with the times.
“Trying to learn new things is interesting. I love challenging myself and progressing. I’m constantly looking to do things and constantly looking to keep us on trend, because our market is changing all the time.
“My course is being held over ten weeks and the sessions are three hours, once a week. It’s very intense. After the ten weeks, you have three months to sit the exam before getting the diploma in digital marketing.
“When I first started in Magees 20 years ago, my role was in the photo lab – I was the photo lab technician and was there for over ten years,” she said.
Orla went back to Magees in 2008 to cover maternity leave in the photo lab.
“Gerard approached me and told me he was interested in starting an online site. It went from there and my role completely changed. I took on a new role, first as a website coordinator and that progressed to marketing and website coordinator. “Everything is going social media, so we have to have a way of connecting with people on a personal level and this course is helping me do that,” Orla added.
“I work along with Chloe Bradley who does the social media for us. We are trying to reach out, show people our brand and offer a good service. I love being able to be creative. I do all the graphics for Magees and the instore graphics for the shop.
“We’re on Trustpilot, the consumer review website, and I love when customers take the time to say how good their experience has been with Magees. Five stars is the highest rating and that’s what we are getting, so I’m proud of that.”
Magees Pharmacy was set up by Leo Magee in Letterkenny in 1928. 30 years later, Kathleen Quinn, the wife of Dr Cyril Quinn from Raphoe bought the business.
At the time, Gerard’s late father, Jim, had just qualified as a pharmacist. He was working for them at their other pharmacy in Lifford, having just been married.
“Kathleen Quinn rang him and said they wanted to sell the business to him. My father said he had no money and she told him that wasn’t a problem – it was the good will of the business and he got that over a period of time.
“It was a rented property, two doors down from where Magees operates from now on Letterkenny’s Main Street – the former car accessory shop. He came here in 1966 and moved into the premises we are in now in 1970. I qualified and came back in to the business in 1993 and took over the business in 2006. My Dad retired in 2007. So, I’ve been here 28 years.”
Magees became the first Kodak Mini Lab in Ireland which was set up in 1997 by Gerard’s mother, Fionnuala, who ran it until she retired.
“Over the years we’ve done different things. We’ve constantly evolved and we try and use the policy of evolving and changing all the time. We try to change slowly so that on the outside it looks the same, yet it’s still changing solidly behind the scenes. As society has changed, we have changed with it,” Gerard commented.
Staying grounded and not looking too far ahead are key to giving his business the best chance of staying successful, according to the Letterkenny pharmacist.
“As a business person you have to have confidence. You must get up in the morning with confidence, but you must temper that with you never know what’s around the corner. So, you just keep your feet grounded. We would have a plan for what we are hoping to do in the future and we follow that,” he said.
“We keep it based in the now and that is very important, because you can get lost when you’re going forward. You don’t spend time looking back and you can look at the future to a certain extent. It’s the now is when you must make sure that everything is correct,” Gerard added.
“If you get enough ‘nows’ right, it works itself out.”