2,000 jobs lost as Debenhams permanently shuts all Irish stores

All 2,000 staff directly or indirectly working at the 11 outlets of Debenhams in the Republic, including at least 330 staff at its two Cork outlets, are set to lose their jobs as the troubled department store retailer goes into liquidation.

Although the financial troubles facing the retailer were well known for years, staff were still shocked to learn about the retailer’s move to permanently shut all the stores in the Republic, while continuing to fight to keep open elsewhere, the Mandate trade union said.