Employees suffer as Wilton deal sours

THE owners of a Cork shopping centre asked Marks and Spencer to pay more than double the fixed lease rate for the centre’s anchor site just days before M&S was due to take over the plot from Roches Stores, according to M&S.

Steps were being taken last night to resurrect the deal for M&S to take over the 45,000 square foot site at the Wilton Shopping Centre from Roches Stores before 172 workers find themselves without their jobs.

Those workers were due to transfer from Roches to M&S as part of the deal before it opened to the public in early 2007.