Newry business fulfils 2,000 orders despite battling severe flooding

Kukoon Rugs experienced significant damage to its premises at the Carnbane Industrial Estate as both the nearby Newry Canal and Clanrye River burst their banks on Tuesday evening.

Business owner Clare Vallely said she is indebted to staff, many of whom were on annual leave for the half term break when the flooding struck.

She said: “I’ve always known we have a wonderful team at Kukoon, but this week has really underlined just how special they are.

“It has taken an incredible effort from staff who have been working around the clock as our clean up begins.

“A number of them were due to be off this week to spend the half term break with their families but they have all gone the extra mile to help their Kukoon family.

“Despite dealing with the flooding we still fulfilled all our orders on Wednesday and are distributing 2,000 rugs per day to customers all round the world. This is an achievement we are incredibly proud of.

“Excellent customer service is the cornerstone of our business so even though we were dealing with a real emergency, having customers wait longer for their purchases simply wasn’t an option for us.”

Clare said she has been inundated with offers of help and support from across the local community.

She said: “When problems like this strike in Newry our community really does come closer together. It has been so heartening to see how supportive people from this part of the world are and we are very appreciative.

“There is a long road ahead in terms of the clean-up operation, but we will get there. Our Newry showroom is closed for now but it’s business as usual at our Belfast showroom and of course our online shop continues to trade as normal.

“We have just launched some fantastic Christmas offers so anyone shopping online with us can enjoy some amazing value as they prepare their homes for the festive season.”