197 jobs lost as Mothercare Ireland goes into liquidation
Mothercare Ireland is being placed into liquidation with the loss of 197 jobs.
The family that owns the franchise in the Republic said its 14 stores will not reopen following the Covid-19 crisis, saying the business is no longer sustainable.
In a statement this morning, Jonathan Ward, Managing Director of Mothercare Ireland, said the impact of the pandemic on the business to date is unprecedented.
"What has become clear over the recent weeks is that store sales are going to be seriously impacted whilst social distancing measures are in place in the short term and longer-term as consumer habits permanently change.
"When we factor this in coupled with issues we have in our supply chain, the business will sustain significant losses this year and will continue to do so into the future."
Mr Ward said: "Our own projections on future store sales were very similar to 360 other companies in a recent Retail Excellence report.
"We had already experienced issues with our supply chain in 2020 and when we factor the Covid-19 impact on top of this we are forecasting substantial losses this year alone.
"Unfortunately our business is now no longer sustainable as it will continue to make losses into the future."
The family said the news is devastating for the entire team and that it comes as a huge shock.
The company thanked staff, customers and suppliers over the past 28 years.
The company has been operating in Ireland since 1992 with outlets in the likes of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry.
General Secretary of Mandate trade union, John Douglas, says the pandemic has been tough for some retailers:
It’s devastating. Many of our members would have worked all their careers in retail.
"Unfortunately this pandemic has changed the face of retailing.
"Some companies weren’t able to adapt quickly enough or just weren’t able to take the hit in terms of the loss of trade, albeit temporarily, but the face of retail is changing.”
