Jobs safe for M&S staff in Ireland

MARKS and Spencer (M&S) employees in Ireland have been assured their jobs are safe after the retail giant announced the closure of 27 stores and the loss of 1,230 jobs across the group.

The 18 M&S stores in the republic will remain open and all 2,800 Irish jobs are safe, a spokeswoman said.

M&S yesterday reported a smaller drop in sales than analysts expected. Sales were boosted by the strong performance of its international operations which include Ireland. International sales were up almost 27%&. On a group level, M&S said revenue at outlets open at least a year fell 7.1% in the third quarter.