Closure of all Argos stores in Ireland will leave 580 jobless

Argos, retailer chain with locations across the UK and Ireland, has announced the closure of all locations across Ireland today.

Most will close on June 24th, 2023, with Portlaoise, St. Stephen's Green, and Galway's closing earlier and the Kilkenny outlet closing on June 25th.

Argos is a property of UK supermarket Sainsbury's. Trade expenses, such as rent, were cited as some of the main contributors to the company's decision to close all Irish locations.

The closure will herald a loss of 580 jobs across the franchise's 34 stores. Locations in Northern Ireland will not be affected.

Correspondence from Argos was received by local politicians, such as Dundrum councillor Peter O'Brien. In a letter to his office from Argos Ltd., Argos said that they "are committed to supporting our colleagues in any way we can."

“We arrived at the decision to leave Ireland following a long period of careful consideration and a thorough review of its business and operations in the country. Argos concluded the investment required to develop and modernise the Irish part of its business was not viable and that the money would be better invested in other parts of its business.”

I just received this correspondence from Argos Ltd. My thoughts are with the workers and their families from following this announcement today. pic.twitter.com/9iHyDALsL7

— Cllr Peter O’Brien (@CllrOBrien) January 19, 2023

The closure of the Argos comes amidst a cost-of-living crisis and affordable housing scarcity that has exacerbated homelessness in Ireland, sparking worry about the laid-off workers' well being and financial stability come Argos' closure in June.

The Mandate Trade Union, a union of over 40,000 workers across Ireland, works "to protect and improve our conditions of employment." The union "expressed its disappointment" with Argos's decision to close all of its' Irish stores.

“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," reported Michael Meegan, a Mandate Trade Union official.

@MandateTU disappointed at Argos's decision to close all of its Irish outlets but will be engaging intensively over next 30 days to get best deal for workers being made redundant.

See statement at this link:https://t.co/wk7QHCt2MN pic.twitter.com/bbAxEk89rW

— Mandate Trade Union (@MandateTU) January 19, 2023

Collective redundancy is when a large mass of employees are laid-off within a 30-day time period. A minimum of 30 employees must be made redundant in an establishment of 300 or more employees for it to count as a collective redundancy.

The Protection of Employment Acts, 1977 - 2014 requires that for a collective redundancy, employers must have a consultation with employee representatives and to notify the Minister of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment. The employer cannot issue a note of redundancy until 30 days after the Minister has been notified.

"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," Meegan continued.

Orders will no longer be able to be made to the catalogue or website through the home delivery service after March 31st, but orders before that date will be honoured.

Aftersales, refund, return, and exchange policies will remain in place until the stores close.