Losses soar at Debenhams in Ireland

Exceptional costs at the Irish arm of the troubled retailer Debenhams contributed to its pre-tax loss soaring to over €20.6m last year. New accounts filed by Debenhams Retail Ireland Ltd, which operates 11 stores in the Republic, show that the company posted exceptional costs of over €18.7m.

The retailer in the Republic had posted a loss of €246,000 in 2017. Before the exceptional charges, the business had a pre-tax loss of over €1.8m, as revenues dipped 1% to €168m in the 12 months through September 1.