Govt Continues to Bury its Head in the Sand over Crisis in Retail Sector – FF

Published on: 07 August 2013


Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Dara Calleary TD, says the government continues to ignore the growing crisis in the retail sector.

Deputy Calleary was reacting to the announcement today by retailer Marks and Spencer that it will close four of its stores nationwide with the loss of 180 jobs.

“My thoughts are with the 180 staff at Marks and Spencer and their families at this difficult and challenging time,” said Deputy Calleary.

“In the past number of months we have seen multinational retailers like HMV, B&Q and Homebase close stores throughout the country. These companies are globally profitable and there must be serious questions asked as to what conditions are forcing these retailers to close in Ireland. On top of this, countless independent retailers close every week all over the country.

“Fianna Fáil has repeatedly called for the Government to implement a focussed retail strategy to tackle this issue but Minister Richard Bruton has continuously failed to recognise the extent of the crisis that is facing the sector.
“There are 300,000 people employed in the retail sector in Ireland and every effort must be made to develop a strategy to protect these jobs. The Government continues to bury its head in the sand and as long as they do so,  more and more retailers will be forced to close.”

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