Argos to pull out of Republic of Ireland
Argos has announced that it will be closing all of its stores in the Republic of Ireland by the end of June.
The retailer said that customers in Ireland would no longer be able to purchase products online after March 22.
The most recent accounts for Argos’ Irish operation revealed a pre-tax loss of €13m (£11.4m) in 2022.
In a statement, Argos said it recognised that the news would be unsettling for many of its colleagues, but insisted that it was committed to supporting them and was talking to 580 colleagues in stores about their options.
Argos, who is owned by Sainsbury’s, operate a different model in the Republic of Ireland, whereas its UK stores trade entirely out of its owner’s supermarkets.
The retailer said its UK stores continued to trade well, and in December Sainsbury’s praised Argos’ role in contributing to a record Christmas for the retailer.
Irish trade union Mandate said it was disappointed at Argos’ decision to pull out of the country.
Mandate official, Michael Meegan, said the trade union was engaging with with the retailer to get the best deal for the workers who are being made redundant:
“Today is a difficult one for Argos’s staff here in Ireland as they get the news that the company will be closing down here. Because Argos is shutting down its complete operation in Ireland this amounts to a collective redundancy which requires a 30-day consultation period and we know the company intends to honour that obligation to engage. We will be using this period to negotiate the best possible terms for those who are losing their jobs and we are expecting a constructive response from the company”.