New music venue to open in Bantry

Planning permission has been granted for a new music and education venue in Bantry, which will be run by West Cork Music. The site is owned by M&P O'Sullivan who described the approval as a significant boost for the town and the wider West Cork region.

The planning approval means that the GW Biggs warehouse, which is currently on site, will close on 31 October.

M&P O'Sullivan ha said that GW Biggs will still continue operations in Bantry. Customers will still be serviced through the company's delivery service, with orders fulfilled directly from M&P O'Sullivan's Cork operation.

The company is also exploring options for employees affected by the closure within the company.

Eoin and Patrick O'Sullivan, Directors of M&P O'Sullivan, said they were pleased to see the development moving forward.

"We want to be very clear that the closure of the warehouse does not mean GW Biggs is leaving Bantry or West Cork. GW Biggs will continue to serve its customers across Bantry and the wider West Cork area through our established delivery service.

“We would like to thank all of our customers who have continued to support a local Cork company and the GW Biggs team,” they said.

Biggs catering company is a long-standing business in West Cork, and its parent company M&P O'Sullivan employs 180 people and serves approximately 3,000 customers from its multi-temperature warehouse on Sarsfield Road in Cork city.

The company operates a fleet of more than 28 vehicles, delivering nationwide, and supplies more than 15,000 product lines across categories including frozen, chilled, ambient, soft drinks, packaging, alcohol, food equipment and catering supplies.

It is also a shareholder in Gala Retail Services, which oversees a network of more than 140 Gala stores, and 60 Your Stop locations across Ireland.

M&P O’Sullivan’s current holdings include the Irish Homestead, White Hat, Red Abbey and Brennan’s Caterworld ranges. The company also operates Gala Retail and Your Stop franchises and owns two Gala stores, with plans for further acquisitions.