Family tribute: One of Northern Ireland's finest and most fearless entrepreneurs dies aged 69
Belfast-born Paul McGlade founded Champion Sports, Optilase and Thérapie Clinics in a ground-breaking business career that spanned more than 50 years
One of Northern Ireland's finest and most fearless entrepreneurs has died aged 69 after a short illness.
Paul McGlade founded Champion Sports, Optilase and Thérapie Clinics in a ground-breaking business career that spanned more than 50 years.
His working life began modestly in the markets in Northern Ireland where he developed an appetite for retail and he quickly realised he was good at it.
He moved to Dublin in the late ‘70s and shortly afterwards established Apollo, a store on Moore Street that revolutionised the city’s retail sector and became a mecca for those looking for a bargain.
Paying tribute, his family stated: “Born in Belfast on June 12, 1955, Paul was determined to leave his mark on the world from a young age. He was a tremendously hard worker who dreamed big. His world was filled with possibilities and promise, and he coupled that with an innate skill for identifying what people wanted.
“He launched Champion Sports just as the craze for all things sports-related was taking off globally. It grew into a colossus that dominated the Irish sports retail sector for years.
“Restless by nature but always imbued with a child-like curiosity, he later founded Thérapie Clinic because he thought everyone should have access to competitively priced massages and facials. The first clinic opened on Molesworth Street in Dublin more than 20 years ago and the group now boasts more than 75 clinics across Ireland, Great Britain, and the US.”
He married Rita in 1981 and although they would later separate and live independent lives, they remained great and steadfast friends. They had four children, Paul, Phillip, Katie, and William, and he guided each as they too entered the world of business.
The family added: “He was tremendously proud of his children and their achievements and always marvelled at the scale of success of Thérapie as well as Pyg and their other endeavours.
“But commercial success never blinded him to the joy he felt in the company of his children and six grandchildren. They, he liked to say, were the true riches of his life.”