Guest #1 - David Feeney Talks Retail

🔴 Our guest today on Bandido Talks is David Feeney.

David is the driving force behind the modern era of Dessies Casual Clothing, the iconic family-run menswear store at 12 Upper English Street in Armagh that his father Dessie founded in 1987, a mighty 38 years ago.

Helping out his dad since the age of 8, David joined the business full-time in 1997, spending the last 28 years transforming the shop into Armagh’s go-to destination for gents’ and boys’ fashion, school uniforms for 17 local schools, footwear, and in-house alterations.

Alongside his dad Dessie (still fully involved in his mid-70s) and their loyal team, David has overseen major refurbishments, record-breaking back-to-school seasons, and kept the famous Dessies banter alive, ensuring that customers continue to travel from Newry, Craigavon, Portadown and beyond to visit because, as David says, “We don’t just sell clothes; we look after people”.

Today, David Feeney is here to share the story of growing up in the shop, successfully taking a beloved local establishment into its fourth decade, and why, after all these years, he still loves coming to work every single day to provide all of his customers with the famous “personal touch” that will be uniquely found only through the doors of Dessies Casual Clothing.

Enjoy the show.

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🔴 Discover more about Dessies Casual Clothing: 👇

Find Dessies ➡ 12 Upper English Street, Armagh, Northern Ireland, BT61 7BH

Contact Dessies ➡ 028 3752 7458

Dessies on Facebook ➡ Dessies casual clothing

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🔴 Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
01:08 Who is David Feeney & what does he do?
01:58 David's early days in business with Dessies Casual Clothing
04:43 How David honed his skills under his “masters”
07:18 Striking the balance with customers & “reading the room”
12:29 The importance of human interaction in business
15:25 Building trust with customers
17:52 Key sales tips – patience, knowing your product & understanding your business inside out
24:55 Making business profitable in the clothing sector
32:53 Knowing when to cut your losses
38:12 The impact of social media and the Internet on business
44:58 The importance of liking your own product & truly believing in it
50:27 Meeting customers where they are at
51:52 What a typical work day looks like for David
55:48 Where is Dessies Casual Clothing based?
56:33 What makes Dessies Casual Clothing unique?
58:25 Concluding remarks
59:35 Outro