Ontelly

Keep It in the Family - Austin's Department Store

Logo for Keep It in the Family - Austin's Department Store

Series looking at family businesses where the next generation is unwilling to take over. Etablished in 1830, Austin's of Derry is the oldest department store in the world. It survived a fire in 1908 and several bombings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but can it survive the challenges of succession? Luke Hasson, the store's 66-year-old owner, is desperate to retire, but his children have made their lives elsewhere, far from Derry. The eldest of his five daughters, 39-year-old Sinead, runs a successful business in the cut-throat world of recruitment, and her only retail experience is as a teenage Saturday girl. How will she cope with the challenges of managing staff in 14 departments, and is she willing to give up her established life and business in London to help save the family firm in Northern Ireland?