Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
eason to close ALL stores in NI
BOOKS and stationery sellers Eason is to axe all 144 staff here after it was revealed it will not reopen any of its Northern Ireland shops.
All of its employees are on furlough as its seven stores have been closed since March 23 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the company said the announcement follows a detailed review of the stores in the context of “the devastating impact of Covid-19”.
It added: “The Eason business in Northern Ireland has remained challenged for some time notwithstanding significant investment in recent years in individual stores and in staff development and training.
“Its revenues have fallen by over 30% since 2016, including previous store closures with accumulated operating losses in the period amounting to £1.8million.
“In 2019, prior to Covid-19, the business generated £12.5million in revenues and an operating loss of over £300,000. While management and staff have in recent years worked hard on reducing losses in business, progress has been undermined by significant cost inflation in Northern Ireland.
“More significantly, the situation has been exacerbated by the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on existing trade and the outlook for the business.”
Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said the closure of Eason’s seven stores was a blow to town centres across Northern Ireland.
He added: “This is incredibly sad news for the
144 Eason’s employees and for our high streets as a whole. Eason & Son was a household name, and a hugely respected local business, and its closure is a loss to our retail sector.
“It’s not just the loss of the business – it is the reduced footfall for the surrounding traders located beside its seven stores that we also have to factor in.
“Our retail sector and town centres face a long road back and we need the Executive to bring forward a big, bold recovery plan to help create 21st century high streets and to support and grow our local retail sector.
“Our thoughts are with the 144 employees and their families at this challenging time.”