Hennessy Hair & Beauty
Our Story
Supplying Excellence for 40 years.
Hennessy Hair and Beauty has been supplying excellence for over 40 years in Ireland's hair and beauty industry. We take pride in delivering top-quality brands alongside friendly and efficient service. We are a second-generation family run business and are delighted to share our wonderful memories with our loyal customers throughout our 40 years in business.
Founders and Directors of Hennessy Hair & Beauty: Brian McCarthy, Susan McCarthy, Kathleen Hennessy & Patrick Hennessy
Hennessy Hair & Beauty Timeline
1980s
Our founder, Patrick known to many by Paddy Hennessy, grew up in St. Luke’s in Cork City. As the third eldest child, Patrick grew up in a household of business entrepreneurs. Patrick started his career in the hair industry, working for a leading hair company called Wella. He built up great knowledge in the industry for 16 years as a sales rep and regional manager. He then saw an opening to deliver a cash-and-carry service in Cork. In the early 1980s, Paddy and his wife, Kathleen, founded Hennessy Hair & Beauty and delivered cash and carry services to their customers from their home across Munster.
Kathleen & Patrick Hennessy
Paddy rented his first premises on Oliver Plunkett Street in the heart of Cork City, and a few years later, he moved to the existing premises on Pembroke Street. The move to Pembroke Street was a strategic one and aided the company in attracting more customers. An opportunity arose to provide training in a new on-site training room, and the business went from strength to strength, hosting training and educational days. This investment by Paddy & Kathleen set the foundation for where the business would develop in the future. Initially, with a small team, he was offering a unique service that no one else in Cork was doing at the time. Paddy & Kathleen poured their heart and soul into establishing and growing the Cash & Carry business to support their customers.
2000s
In 2003 Hennessy Hair and Beauty purchased their first warehouse in Wilton, Cork. This new spacious and more efficient cash and carry aimed to provide a one stop shop for all their business needs. Strong connections were continuing to be built within the industry and the end goal was to help customers achieve their dreams of running their own salons. During this period of transition into a larger wholesaler, Hennessy’s continued to grow their product range and began to expand into the Beauty sector during the mid-2000s.
Opening of Doughcloyne Store in 2003
2000-2010
During these years Hennessey’s went from one to four Hair & Beauty Sales Representatives servicing the country nationwide. This unique offering enabled the business to offer the customer a regular ordering and delivering service.
2010
In 2010, the online e-commerce website was launched, which became another platform for customers to shop. Hennessey aims is to always move with the times and by developing our website it was another area to improve the shopping experience. The website was able to showcase the full stock listing and availability, so customers can shop their favorite products and have them delivered right to their doorstep, with next day delivery. During this period, Hennessey also recognized the need to develop a marketing department, which married together nicely with the launch of the website.
2014
(Second Generation) In 2014, Susan McCarthy, daughter of Paddy and Kathleen Hennessy, began to transition into the role of Managing Director. Susan joined the company at the early age of 16, and under Patrick’s guidance, they built up great knowledge and experience within the industry. Susan' great relationship with her staff and customers alike enables her to continue to provide the level of excellence within the hair and beauty sector that has been long established. Together with her husband Brian McCarthy, they expanded the business nationally and secured Hennessys as the well-established “go to” cash and carry for all hair & beauty requirements. Both Susan and Brian continue to focus on Customer support and loyalty as they drive the business forward.
Brian McCarthy & Susan McCarthy
2018
In 2018, the company expanded its warehouse to facilitate a better shopping experience and to deal with the growth in customer demands for its top-quality product range. The Hennessy family purchased Unit 27 to connect to Unit 28, which became the stock warehouse and dispatch area.
2019
Hennessy Hair & Beauty celebrates 35 years in business.
2020
Following this latest transition for the business, the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred, causing issues for many businesses. Hennessy helped its customers with the latest PPE so that its customers could provide their hair and beauty services when allowed safely to do so. Further, after the pandemic, Hennessy was able to get back to full business, seeing their customers walk in the doors of the cash and carry stores, putting smiles on their faces.
2023
To bring us up to date, 2023 saw the revamp of the cash and carry, which again improved the in-house shopping experience and enabled us to display and market brands more efficiently.
