Rathangan's Hackett's supermarket reopens today

After five years of closure, Hackett's Supermarket reopened its doors in Rathangan this morning, contributing to the previous sixty years of service the family has given to the community. 

Back in March 2012, the family was forced to take the very painful decision to close.

Hit hard by the recession and the dependency on the construction industry, the padlock was chained at the door of the store, which was founded by Alphonsus (Alo) Hackett.

Hackett's Supermarket was one of the longest established businesses in the town.

At the time, when asked if there was any possibility it might reopen at some point, his son Francis said; “We just don’t know yet what’s in the future. We would like to thank the people of Rathangan for their best wishes and comments.”

Today, that came to fruition as the bright new paintwork and open doors led many locals to pop in to check out the new store. 

“We are delighted. We’ve had lots of people coming in and wishing us well. It’s brought a bit of life back to the area,” he said. 

He said he was especially thrilled for his mother, Maureen, who is in her eighties. 

Empty business premises unfortunately have been a feature of the centre of Rathangan. 

“There had been tumble weeds blowing up the street here, so hopefully it will bring back a bit of life to the street and hopefully other businesses will follow,” added Francis.

The new store will stock all the usual products as before and will also offer a new home delivery service. 

“I would like to thank everybody who has wished us well and we hope to see them all on a regular basis. It’s just great for all our family to see it open,” he said. 

Chairman of Rathangan Tidy Towns, John Fullam said: “We would like to wish them well and hopefully they will do well. It will bring some vibrancy back to the centre of the town.”