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The Full Story
Ardagh Agencies was founded in March 2018 by the late Fintan Ardagh and his son, Ciaran Ardagh.
Fintan Ardagh first made a name for himself in the office furniture business through his affiliation with Bob King and Humanscale back in the 1980's.
Growing up with his dad in the furniture business, Ciaran first remembers creating a promotional ad at the age of 12 for office chairs.
On the back of Humanscale's success, ergonomics and all things wellbeing in the workplace subsequently became Fintan's career, founding Ergonomics Ltd., CPL, CSW, Softview, and other businesses.
Fintan "semi" retired in 2016, before re-entering the world of business with Ciaran in 2018 to form Ardagh Agencies, which has since gone from strength to strength, diversifying and adapting to the times, always with the same goal in mind:
To help the furniture and interiors trade source well designed, innovative and competitively
priced solutions, from reliable manufacturers who value long term business relationships and
environmental sustainability.
Fintan Ardagh, RIP 1953 - 2021
Tragically, Fintan passed away in September 2021, aged 67 in Our Lady's Hospice in Harold's Cross, Dublin.
Fintan's death came as a shock, as he was healthy and active until just three months before he passed. He used to love his work. He cherished interactions with people, and he would play tennis and go hiking on a regular basis.
Fintan valued kindness above all else, and his first instinct was always to help solve the problem for people, whether he profited from it, or not.
Fintan is sorely missed by his wife Geraldine, his sons Jack and Ciaran, his siblings, nieces and nephews, their families, his friends and valued business associates.
Today, Ciaran continues the good work he and Fintan started together, with the help and support of his wife Lucia and her sister, Mariana.
The idea for Ardagh Agencies was born out of the concept of affiliate marketing, which is a proven method of online selling, pioneered by Amazon, allowing online sales associates, or "affiliates" to earn commission on sales made, stemming from their sales and marketing efforts.
We have adapted this concept to the furniture market. Fintan, who had been in the industry for many years prior, saw a gap when he was learning from Ciaran about these new sales concepts.
Fintan knew that there was a market of international manufacturers who would jump at the chance to have a strong digital presence and be represented by experts, who already knows the market, working for them on a commission basis, as an affiliate.
Fun Fact:
It was Barry Foley, CEO of Koplus UK, Fintan and Ciarán's first business partner in their new venture, who came up with the name "Ardagh Agencies". Before that, the company was called "Fintan Ardagh Office Furniture" in Ciaran's bid to utilize Fintan's well established name in the office interiors market in Ireland, stemming from his success with the Humanscale brand.
Thanks Barry - our business's name is not all you have given us over the years. For your loyalty, support and guidance, along with the jokes and laughs, we're truly grateful.
The challenge with our business model emerged when we realised that it would be impossible to track the enquiries back to us, because back then furniture brands didn't have online affiliate programs.
The solution to this was simple in the end... we could only select brands to work with, who would be in a position to take us on as an extension of their team, and who needed us to be involved in every business dealing they have in an agreed territory. As it turned out, this method of global distribution was already deep rooted in global sales strategies for many reputable international furniture manufacturers.
With a strong focus on offering design led solutions, Ardagh Agencies today represents some of the most beautiful design furniture brands on the market.
Italian outdoor furniture from Nardi has become one of our biggest success stories in recent years, with many trade partners now taking on this exceptional family company as their number one source for outdoor furniture.
In keeping with our agile mindset, we have evolved our range over the years to include some iconic brands as well as some exciting fresh design led ranges. Smart specifiers and resellers stay tuned to our weekly email updates and our social media activity as we continually bring cutting edge designs directly to the market in bite sized chunks.
Ciarán Ardagh:
This is me, a passionate entrepreneur with an endless drive to create value. I love helping people find solutions for their clients. I have gained plenty of experience in supporting the specification process, as a consultant for design led commercial fit out projects, mainly in the area of loose furnishings.
My hobbies include hiking, nature, business strategy, video production, visual media, web development, technology, current affairs and watching Netflix films and series'.
I value the relationships that I hold with our business partners, and most of all, the time I get to spend with my family. The picture on the left is me with my dad, Fintan, shortly before he died. We used to go for walks on the Greystones coastline, which we would refer to as our daily business meeting - because business was always our chosen topic of conversation!
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