'A good vibe in the shop' Hughes Pharmacy in Portlaoise this Christmas

Hughes Pharmacy across from Portlaoise Library on Main Street, are renowned in the town for their Christmas window dressings, one of the first signs of the festive season.

Laois pharmacist Deirdre Hughes is its third generation proprietor, following in her grandfather and father’s footsteps before her. 

She opened a second outlet next door to her pharmacy during Covid to specialise in gift sets such as makeup and perfumes, and she currently employs over 30 staff, full and part-time.

This Christmas 2024 is like others for the Laois business she says, hurtling into the busy final fortnight, with customised gift hampers a big favourite.

“We see the same loyal repeat customers coming in. We have a good social media presence with giveaways and that helps,” Deirdre said.

“Downtown Portlaoise have done a great job on the lights and Santa for their switch on this year. Danny McNulty the electrician has been busy up and down the street. The new library has brought lights and life too.

I’ve been hiring the same professional window dressers for the past 20 years. I feel it’s important to put on a good display. The customers love it, we get great feedback.

Hughes Pharmacy's 2024 Christmas window display. 

“My staff actually hold the shop together, they are like family, they are so loyal. So are the customers. We work hard to keep the customers happy, like doing giftwrapping, we try not to cut corners,” Deirdre said.

Amanda Delaney is one of her long standing sales assistants. She said that despite competition from online companies, they still have many younger customers who choose to buy in person.

“Sometimes customers even just come in for the chat. There’s a good vibe in the shop,” she said.