Fitzpatrick Wholesale has been conducting business with retailers across the nation for the last seventy years. In 1945, Séan Fitzpatrick, a Gaelgóir and a Kerryman through and through, came to Dublin for the All-Ireland Football Final. On this visit, he established his first business, a small book shop on Clanbasil Street. Fitzpatrick proved to be a skilled entrepreneur. By 1960 his enterprise had gradually grown to six branches selling books and toys in a number of locations including Capel Street, Rathmines Road and Tara Street. To keep up with demand, he established a central warehouse and it was from here that Fitzpatrick Wholesale as we know it today truly began to take shape.
However in November of 1966, disaster struck and threatened to wipe out the business entirely. A fire broke out which decimated the warehouse on Phibsboro Avenue and the company’s stock was incinerated just a few weeks before Christmas. Thankfully Séan managed to not only stay afloat but also recover from the setback bigger than ever.
As demand continued to grow, so too did the company. In 1985 Fitzpatrick Wholesale moved to the JFK Industrial Estate and underwent a succession of extensions before buying the Killeen Road site in 1997, where we remain to this day. The building underwent a massive extension in 2004 which granted us the 75,000 sq ft space needed to keep up with business today.
Two of Séan Fitzpatrick’s six children, Bróna and Eoin, joined the company in 1977. By the time of the 50th anniversary of Fitzpatrick Wholesale in 1995 Bróna was already serving as financial controller and Eoin as managing director. Today Eoin Fitzpatrick remains at the helm of the company, preserving this successful family legacy.
Fitzpatrick Wholesale has consistently been at the forefront of technology concerning business since its inception. Our first computer was introduced in 1982 and we were the first wholesaler in the country to introduce the use of barcodes. By 1995 all the IBM computers in the office were running on programmes written by Eoin Fitzpatrick to reduce the computer jargon rampant in standard programming at the time and instead make them more compatible with a business environment. Today we continue to install the latest technology to remain on the cutting edge in the field and to ensure the customer’s experience runs as smoothly as possible.
Our website was founded in 2008 to provide customers with an excellent online service to make shopping easy and efficient. Over the last few years we have spread our online presence through other factions of the internet, from our Facebook page to this blog, in order to connect with our customers in new ways everyday.
We are a company steeped in history and this year marks our seventieth anniversary in business. Our age has come with the experience needed to meet modern demands. As an Irish company with decades of wisdom and skill behind us, we really are a wholesaler you can trust.