Anna Daly has opened up about the “devastating” closure of her husband’s family business.
Ben Ward and his siblings were forced to close 14 stores nationwide last June, after their family-run business Mothercare Ireland went into liquidation.
Speaking to RSVP Magazine, the TV presenter said: “It gave us all a huge shake up in our life. I thought Mothercare was the safest thing in the world and suddenly it’s gone, so nothing is sure anymore.”
“That was a sad and difficult time. It was more than a family business, it was the reason Ben moved here from the UK as a very young child.”
“His Dad brought Mothercare to Ireland more than 40 years ago. It was devastating to see that go. It was a massive shock,” she confessed.
“But I think Ben and his brother and sister Johnny and Laura, who were running the business together, did the right thing by closing it.”
“I think they behaved very responsibly and shutting it down was the most responsible thing to do.”
Anna also admitted the closure of Mothercare pushed her to launch her clothing brand Little Bliss.
She said: “I’m working in a business that is very fickle, probably the most fickle industry you can be a part of, especially in Ireland.”
“We’re not in New York or London, you can’t just be one thing in Ireland. It’s not enough to just be a TV presenter, in my opinion. So it gave me a whole new perspective.”
“I’ve been thinking about developing something for years, and I’ve been doing edits for other brands, and I suddenly thought, ‘I should be future proofing myself’. That’s what gave me the kick up the arse to finally set up Little Bliss.”
“It gave me the confidence to push ahead with it and it did start to take over,” she added.
