Jim Barry of wholesale The Barry Group is on the expansion trail and he's not afraid to say it. "We're in a very good position for opportunity," he said last week. "We're quite confident there will be opportunities over the next six to nine months, most definitely," adding they "have a large capacity" to cater for growth.

That strategy led to last week's acquisition of the Carry Out franchise off-licence business for an undisclosed sum. Carry Out has 52 stores nationwide and was bought out of receivership. Barry completed the deal in two weeks, beating off interest from two other interested bidders.

Barry had been planning a move into the off-licence trade, so when a turnkey solution came along in the form of Carry Out, he thought it was right to move.

The Carry Out business currently has a 13.7% share of alcohol sales in the convenience sector and was previously owned by Cork-based group, Galvin's Wholesale , which went into examinership in September and then into receivership earlier this month. The bolt on will add €42m turnover a year to The Barry Group's current annual turnover of €212.5m.

"An off-licence package was part of the plan, so we moved very quickly when we felt that the time was right," he said. That didn't mean rushing in however. Tactically, he decided to hold back and enter the process late. They rang the receiver for the first time 18 days ago and completed the deal within two weeks.

"We're focusing now on getting the stock out to our franchisees. We'll be advertising in the newspapers and on the radio and we'll get the machine re-cranked up but that's a job for January," he said. The first step will be trying to attract back members of the franchise who left over the last 12-18 months and thereafter they will look at expanding through new members.

He's also not frightened by the slump in alcohol sales since the downturn, saying that they "see opportunity in the sector" and that he believes off-licences can outperform the rest of the market. That said, he's been vocal in his criticism of how the recent cuts in excise duties were brought in. It's not that he's against it, but the manner in which it happened, when wholesalers had already bought in a huge amount of alcohol for the Christmas period, means that they are suffering serious hits because they have to pass on the cuts to their customers, even though they themselves had already paid the higher tax. He said the move cost his company €200,000 and labeled the clarification by the Revenue Commissioners that it will not allow a claim back on duty as "grossly unfair" and "outrageous".

As it is, the Carry Out business will continue to trade from its current premises for six months before being integrated into the rest of the group's operations in Mallow, in Co Cork where it has a 125,000 sq ft central distribution centre. "We have planning permission for an extension to the warehouse and we'll reconfigurate the existing area. We think we can add 50% in extra capacity and 55% in extra racking," he said. That will cost about €1.5m in total, half of it in building and half in capacity.

They'll need the extra space because in one stroke, the Carry Out deal more than doubled The Barry Group's alcohol business. "It'll help our buying power immensely," he said. Financing the expansion is Ulster Bank whom, he says, have been "very co-operative and supportive" and Barry is already looking for further opportunities for growth.

"My main job as managing director is to bring in chunks of business to maximise efficiencies in the warehouse," he said of the business, which employs nearly 220 people and supplies more than 700 stores.

"We are very interested in any food and drink opportunities… there would be good synergies in that sector for us."

Of those 700 stores, 230 are affiliated in the Republic of Ireland and operate under the Costcutter, Quik Pick and the discount Buy Lo brands. The Carry Out deal is already having an impact in how other parts of the business such as Buy Lo operate.

"We don't plan on having a full off-licence in Buy Lo but after this deal the wine allocation would be bigger than originally envisaged," he said. "We're talking to a number of new suppliers, mainly from overseas, who are looking to come in and supply us."

Buy Lo is the group's alternative to Lidl and Aldi and it will be rolled out nationally after a number of trial stores traded well.

"In the first quarter of next year we hope to open four or five more and think that there'll be an overall market of 30 to 40," he said.

The stores will be franchised out. "We see ourselves as providers of retail solutions. We're a franchise house," he said.