M&S drive to recruit staff

MARKS & SPENCER are seeking part-time staff in Ireland for the Christmas trading period.

The retailer, which has outlets in Dublin, Cork and Kildare, is looking to recruit up to 350 people for the period to work in the shops and cafes in Ireland.

Around 350 temporary staff for Christmas are next for Dublin with a further 80 positions available at Marks & Spencer Cork.

The jobs are in addition to the 300 positions just created at its Blanchardstown store, due to open in the next few months and it is also seeking 400 new staff for the company’s new Dundrum store, which is scheduled to open in March.

Marks & Spencer spokeswoman Linda Lynch said: “Marks & Spencer is an amazing place to be in the run-up to Christmas. We’re looking for enthusiastic, flexible people to join our active team and make our stores as festive and welcoming as possible.”

The company said in return for working at least 16 hours a week, including a minimum of one weekday evening, as well as at weekends, Marks & Spencer will provide a competitive benefits package.

Ireland is one of the few bright spots in the Marks & Spencer group, which has been hit hard in the British food and clothing market.

The company does not break out the sales from its Irish business, but said earlier this year that they have continued to grow.

This is in contrast to the British market. For the 10 weeks to September 18, total like-for-like sales at the retailer fell by 6.3% compared with the same period last year.