Gymboree’s Irish branches to close over losses

A US kids clothing retailer plans to shut all of its branches in Ireland by the end of this year.

The Gymboree Corporation says that it is axing all of its shops in Ireland and Britain as they are losing money.

The decision will see the company’s five outlets in Ireland shut down with the loss of a couple of dozen jobs.

It is not known what impact the decision will have on its European distribution headquarters in Shannon, Co Clare. The 26,000 square foot site employs around 20 people.

Gymboree has three outlets in Dublin, including one on Grafton Street, one in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre and a concession in the Arnotts department store.

It also has outlets at the Douglas Court Shopping Centre in Cork and a branch on Cruises Street, Limerick.

Its outlet in Bangor, Co Down will also go. All 17 British shops will be closed as well.

A spokesperson for the company could not be reached, but in a statement, the US parent said the closure of its retail operations in Ireland and Britain was the right decision to make.

“It will allow us to focus our attention and financial resources on the key drivers of our long-term growth strategy,” Lisa Harper, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“We truly appreciate the extraordinary group of employees in the UK and Ireland who have been dedicated to the Gymboree brand over the years.”

The company said the winding down will begin immediately and it expects to complete the process by the end of this year.

Earlier this week, Gymboree said it made a loss of $3.2 million (€2.6m) in the three months to end July. Despite the loss its sales were up 9% to $120m.

Gymboree Play & Music franchises, which act as child learning centres, will continue to operate as normal.