172 Wilton jobs lost as M&S deal falls apart

LAST night 172 Roches Stores staff in Cork were told they were being made redundant because the owner of a shopping centre could not agree terms with Marks & Spencer over the cost of square footage.

The staff and Roches lease at the Wilton Shopping Centre store were meant to be transferred to M&S but the deal was blocked last Sunday by centre owner Joe O’Donovan.

Mr O’Donovan insisted that he wanted €30 per square foot for the 45,000 square foot property. That was significantly more than had already been agreed between Roches and M&S and the British retailer refused to pay it.