Electrical goods retailer to create 100 Irish jobs

DSG INTERNATIONAL – the group which owns the Currys, PC World and Dixons electrical goods retail chains – is aiming to create up to 100 jobs in its Irish operations by the end of this year, as fortunes begin to rise for the business.

The group opened its latest Irish store – under the Dixons Travel brand – in Dublin Airport last week. About 50 new jobs will be assigned to the company’s presence in the capital’s airport, with a second shop due to open in the planned second terminal.

While a number of closures and lay-offs were part of DSG’s cost-cutting measures here over the past year, the company is still looking at the potential for adding to its Irish store portfolio. A probable feature of that drive will be more “two-in-one” stores (meaning a mix of Currys and PC World under one roof) and the first megastore offering for the Irish market; a concept which has already proved successful for DSG in Britain.

Yesterday, DSG – which has operations across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and mainland Europe – reported a 4% increase in total underlying sales to £8.53 million (€10.4m), for the 12 months to the beginning of May. Underlying group pre-tax profits were up by 61% at £90.5m.

Although underlying sales were down by 3% in the group’s core British & Ireland division (at just over £4bn), profits were up by 21% in the region. Sales in Ireland alone – although not broken down individually – were also up in the second half of the year, on a like-for-like basis.

Declan Ronayne, managing director of DSG’s Irish operations, said that he remained “cautious, but upbeat” about prospects for the current financial year; maintaining concern over consumer sentiment but welcoming the rise in the British VAT rate to near parity with that of Ireland.

Group chief executive, John Browett added that while management expects the “challenging” economic climate to continue over Europe for the remainder of the year, “the group is well-prepared for this environment” and “given the renewal and transformation plan, group profitability will continue to improve.”