Jobs blow for Athlone and Longford as Argos announces Irish closure

Athlone and Longford suffered a jobs blow last week as retail giant Argos announced it would be closing all its stores in the Republic of Ireland by June of this year.

The company said it made the decision to end its operations here following a “long period of careful consideration and a thorough review of its business and operations”.

The retail firm employs 580 people across 34 outlets in the Republic, including stores in Athlone and Longford. It said there would be no change to its operations in Northern Ireland.

Argos confirmed it would propose an enhanced redundancy package for effected staff that “goes beyond its statutory obligations”.

Irish stores will remain open until June 24th at the latest and customers will no longer be able to pay for orders via the website or place orders for home delivery after March 22nd.

Ulster Bank customers have received notice in recent months advising them of the need to switch to a different banking provider.

All branches will cease transactions on March 31st while Ulster Bank’s services through An Post will also cease on that date.

Customers will no longer be able to make cash or cheque lodgements at the counter or machine after March 31st while withdrawals will only be available at ATMs. Foreign Exchange services will also be closed.