New Look Ireland to close up shop axing 347 staff

Despite "undergoing changes" to adapt to the retail landscape, New Look Ireland is shuttering "due to the challenging market environment; rising costs and weakening consumer demand". 

In recent months, New Look Ireland has made changes to adapt to the challenging retail landscape, including marketing initiatives, store adaptions and price range trials. However, following a review of its business, the high street womenswear retailer said "it is no longer viable to continue trading" in Ireland.

New Look Retailers (Ireland) Limited has entered into liquidation with the High Court appointing provisional liquidators today. This decision solely affects stores in the Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland, which are part of the New Look Group. The New Look Group will continue trading online and in stores in the UK.

The company told TheIndustry.fashion that New Look Retailers (which is a separate entity from the UK's New Look Group) will be closed over the coming days, before reopening on February 23 for a clearance sale.

New Look has 26 stores and 347 staff members in the Republic of Ireland. Staff at the stores were notified following the High Court decision and New Look said further engagement is planned over the coming days. The company, which entered the Irish market in 2003, said a 30-day staff consultation process will commence over the coming days.

The Irish Labour Party said urgent action to protect the workers is required from the company. The party’s enterprise spokesman George Lawlor said: "New Look Retailers Ireland Ltd must recognise the human impact of this decision and immediately engage with workers in a meaningful and constructive manner. Workers must be given clarity on redundancy terms or redeployment options. They cannot be left in limbo."

A New Look spokesperson told TheIndustry.fashion: "Over the past few years, we have had to navigate a tough external environment which has only become more unpredictable. While we have adapted to this evolving landscape by investing in our product proposition and digital offer, the increasingly volatile trading conditions have meant we need to expedite our existing plans.

"Following a review of our operations in the Republic of Ireland, we concluded it was no longer viable to continue trading so had to make the difficult but necessary decision to put the business into liquidation.

"Our Irish business has struggled for many years due to rising costs and squeezed consumer spending, despite our efforts to turn around the performance. Our focus now is on supporting our colleagues through this process. We remain confident in the UK market and take pride in offering our customers great value, high-quality fashion."

This follows this morning's news that Quiz was also set to axe hundreds of high street jobs. The womenswear retailer is set to axe around 200 jobs this week after it called in administrators to rescue the business.