THE FIRST time I met Arthur Ryan was in Dunnes Stores and I was 17 years old. He struck me as someone I could look up to, someone I could admire because he was clearly very committed and above all he was getting jobsatisfaction. Furthermore and I suppose this is most important of all . . . he was doing a super job for Dunnes Stores.

He was a kind of father-figure although he was very different to my own father who was known for his changeable mood.

Arthur seemed a very stable character and full of common sense.

When I first started working in the store he was in charge of buying for menswear.

He wasn't a fellow who looked at the clock, in other words, he didn't clock in and then clock off . . . he worked until the job was done.

I suppose he could be described as a workaholic but that tends to go with the trade.

I remember one time we went up to Belfast to visit a shirt factory. We had been buying our shirts from Arnotts who were selling them at 19 shillings and 11 pence but when Arnotts said they wanted to put the price up Arthur insisted we could get better value elsewhere.

I think the name of the manufacturer was 'Granger's' or something like that, anyway, we arrived up there and Arthur went in and introduced himself. He explained our situation to the manager and suggested that Dunnes buy 5,000 dozen nylon shirts at 14 shillings each. I will never forget it . . . the manager turned to Arthur and said he could do them at 12 shillings if he wanted.

Well, Arthur was so taken aback that he queried the price and asked the man how he could possibly do it for less and the man said, "Well, Mr Ryan, it depends how long you want them . . . do you want them to the waist, the breastbone or do you want them to finish just underneath the collar?" I still laugh when I think of it today. Everything can be done at a price.

One of the many great qualities he had was that he treated everyone the same.

Everyone knew I was Ben Dunne's son but Arthur was one of the few who didn't treat me like "the boss's son". Weaker people acted differently in my company and it was always very obvious they were uncomfortable and insecure.

In the 1960s he went off to work at Galen Weston . . . a food and retail company, who poached him to help launch and run Penneys in Ireland and from there he just went from strength to strength.

His career path is actually quite similar to that of my own father because he had been employed by Roches Stores before he left to establish Dunnes. They didn't look after him so he left and went out on his own and both Ryan and my father were around the same age . . . late thirties, when they made a move. The only difference between them, I would say, is that Arthur is a company man.

My father was determined to strike out but Arthur remained under someone else's umbrella although there is no doubt, he has done a fantastic job.

Personally, I was delighted that he went because I got his job which was a bit of a break for me. Obviously I was sad to see him go but it was all in the name of business and we have kept in touch over the years.

TArthur had a few strict rules which he abided by; never buy what you like yourself and if it isn't selling, get rid of it quick. He maintained that you always bought for the consumer; for example, if your target demographic is a 20-year-old male and you are 43 years of age . . . there's little chance he will like what you like. Arthur was a great man for identifying his market.

Money was never his prime motivation; it was just one of the ingredients.

When I experienced my own difficulties in business his advice to me was simple;

make sure you know what you are doing and if you don't, ask someone who does. If I had adhered to all his advice I probably wouldn't have made the mistakes I did but then I wouldn't be the person I am.

Arthur Ryan is just full of common sense and he has never lost his touch . . . he knows his customers, even to this day at the age of 70-something, he will prowl the floors of his stores observing his customers and listening to their conversations. Primark and Penneys don't advertise, they rely on good word of mouth and it definitely seems to be working.