A company behind a number of well-known clothes stores is to close 14 of its outlets across the country with the loss of 80 jobs.
Bestseller Retail (Ireland) Ltd trades under four brand names - Vero Moda, Jack & Jones, Only and Name It.
Bestseller said today that the High Court had appointed an interim examiner to the company, which has been trading in Ireland since 1991 and employs 270 people in 36 outlets.
The company's general manager Lucy O'Mahoney said it was confident of emerging from court protection in a strong position. Bestseller is owned by a Danish company of the same name.
Ms O'Mahoney said the company had experienced tough trading conditions in the last two years, and this had been further undermined by increases in rents at all of its stores. She said the company would be negotiating with all its landlords during the examinership process.
The stores that are scheduled to be closed are in: Swords, north Dublin; Carlow; Waterford; Sligo; Blackpool, Cork; Douglas, Cork; Charlestown; Drogheda; Athlone and Navan.
In Athlone, the Vero Moda and Jack & Jones stores in Athlone Town Centre will close, but the Vero Moda store in the town's Golden Island Shopping Centre will remain open for business. In Drogheda, the Vero Moda and Jack & Jones stores will close but the Name It outlet in the town will continue to trade.
