Ganly's staff set for television debut tonight

Tonight, staff of Athlone hardware store Ganly's will take centrestage on RTE television.

The staff and the store will be featured on 'The Takeover’ which airs on RTE Two tonight at 9.30pm

It all began a few months ago, when owner Michael Ganly was contacted by the makers of a new RTE television show - 'The Takeover’ - who were keen to feature his Athlone store in the series which encourages staff to take charge of their workplace in a bid to improve its fortunes. 

Almost two weeks of filming commenced in February and the resulting programme will be aired on RTE Two at 9.30pm tomorrow (Thursday).

Members of staff at Ganly’s are planning to gather in a local hotel to watch their moment of TV stardom as it goes on the air. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent on Monday, Michael said the experience of taking part in the programme had created “a buzz” at the workplace.

“You have to remember that we’re after coming through a recession and the building industry got hit worse in the recession than any other industry,” he said. “The staff needed some sort of a lift. They’ve gotten a lift as a result of this and I’m absolutely delighted for them.”

'The Takeover’ series began airing last month and it’s spearheaded by former 'Dragons Den’ investor Norah Casey. The concept involves a boss surprising his or her staff by leaving the premises for almost two weeks to allow them make changes to the operation of the business.