HOW we treat our staff and customers now will be remembered when these bad times are over, is the opinion of the new managing director of TRI Equestrian, Brendan Murphy. “Covid- 19 has changed the way we do business, but you need to look at your options and have the courage to change the way you do business,” he added.

Without a doubt, taking over one of the largest equine retail businesses in Ireland in normal circumstances is daunting, but in the middle of the worst pandemics in history, it becomes even more challenging. Tipperary resident Brendan Murphy had little time to settle into his new role before meeting this crisis head on. “I think what gives me some solace is that we are all in this together and if we adapt our business model, retailers will survive,” he said.

Although Murphy is not from an equestrian background, his business experience from other industries is proving very valuable in his new role. “I originally came from working in Ireland’s agri sector and the Middle East and also spent a significant part of my life working in retail and the consumer-packaged goods arena. The equestrian world is unique and different but there are a lot of common traits with the other industries that are transferable to this sector.”

He continues: “If you can run a business, then in theory, you can run any business. A lot of the principles, practices and ways of working, which are in operation within TRI, are very familiar to me. At the core of TRI is the commitment to excellent customer experience and service and this is something that I believe very strongly in. The other key principle is the ability to work with people and again, this is something that has been part of my mantra throughout my career and one that I’m investing heavily in my new role,’’ he says.

New drive-thru

At the onset of the crisis, under his command TRI Equestrian acted quickly and set up a drive-thru in accordance with HSE guidelines. With the complete lockdown being announced, TRI continued to work behind closed doors, offering free deliveries and returns through An Post.

In the last two weeks, TRI has been allowed to re-open the drive-thru. In a bid to ensure safety of customers and the staff, instructional videos were put together. They have also increased their social media presence and offered seasonal deals which would have been available in the shop.

“We immediately developed a plan to keep trading and serving customers while fully respecting the guidelines that have been laid out. We are a tight unit, so keeping regular communication wasn’t a problem. Our superstore in the Curragh and in Northern Ireland have always been our core focus, but with the new operating reality, we have now put our web operations to the forefront and have sought to develop and enhance that to provide a better and faster experience than before.

“We are staying in regular contact with our suppliers and partners to also keep planning for when things do start to get back to normal and that we don’t drop any balls in supply lines and planning," he said.

In equestrian retail, it could only be expected that there would be problems in the supply chain, but TRI had some advantage in the fact that they have developed their own brands. “Yes, there have been some shortages, but our core range has been stable. We are very fortunate to have our own proprietary range in TRM supplements and healthcare, our Turfmasters range for yard, horse and rider. Our Tesoro range and our sister company Equine Products UK supply lines have been preserved. We do expect to keep full availability of 90% of our product range despite pressures on production and product movements from our various different sources of supply globally.’’

Great team

One of the big advantages that Murphy identifies in his new role is the knowledge and ‘can-do’ attitude of the TRI staff. “I’m very lucky with the team that I have. The principles of fairness, honesty, integrity, all of which the company is built upon and comes directly from the founders Larry, Philip and Raoul Masterson stands strong. These values and principles are very much part of the DNA of the team and I’m hugely impressed by the way that the team go about their business and how they have supported me and embraced any changes that we have implemented. There is a real ethos of not being afraid to try new things and to take risks. The team has been doing that and it’s very much up to me to support and encourage that as we move onto the next chapter in the growth of the company,’’ he explains.

Changing world

Like every business, the crisis have changed the way retailers are operating, but putting plans in place will dictate which business will come through this time.

“The current time which we’re going through is without doubt the biggest crisis that I and the team have faced in our careers to date.

“I’m very impressed with the way that the team have rallied together to support each other and the diligence that each team member has demonstrated towards adapting to the new way of working. I feel that TRI will come through even stronger than before as we have sought to stay connected with our customers and offer an enhanced service under the current restrictions while at the same time protecting both customers and staff.”

Although it’s the world’s darkest time, we have to remain positive and accept that we will get back to business, albeit in a different way, he explains.

“Who knows what the future will hold with the current climate, but you have to start looking outside the box. Things won’t return to normal overnight. Our plan is to re-develop parts of the shop while closed to enhance the customer experience.

“We are investing in the website and do plan on significant changes there too and will also be investing in our backend infrastructure to be ready for when things do get back to normal.

“I do think that it will be some time before we do see a return to how we operated before the crisis, but I also believe that this is a macro event that will forever change things in Ireland and across the globe and we all need to be able to adapt and respond to the changes.

“For our part, we will keep our customers and the entire equestrian business as the forefront of our mission to offer excellent service, great choice and great service in everything that we do,” he concludes.