Clery’s closes its doors with loss of 400 jobs
Print15 June 2015
Over 400 staff at Clery’s Department Store on Dublin’s O’Connell Street found out they were to lose their jobs on Friday, with immediate effect.
SIPTU is calling on the liquidators KPMG of Clery’s to meet with them due to concern amongst workers about when and if they will receive outstanding wages.
SIPTU Shop Steward Gerry Markey said the company should be made pay – and the taxpayer should not suffer because of the shop’s closure.
“At the end of the day, we deserve to be paid for what we’re owed,” he said. “It’s not up to the Irish people to pay for someone else doing a runner.”
Meanwhile, customers of Clery’s are being told any money they put down in cash deposits or on vouchers has been lost. The retailers was accepting large cash deposits for household goods just days before the closure.
There is currently no legislation to protect people who have paid cash deposits or bought vouchers in shops that go into liquidation.
Spokesperson of the Consumers Association, Dermot Jewell said the issue needs to be addressed. “We would ask the liquidator to see if it’s possible to put a priority creditor status on any consumers who either have put down deposits or are holding what are potentially worthless credit notes,” he said.
Today it has been reported that the store is still selling gift vouchers on its website and there is no information on the website to indicate the store has ceased trading or that vouchers will not be honoured.
Clerys’s US owners Gordon Brothers sold the business to a joint venture called Natrium Ltd, comprising Irish investment group D2 Private and Cheyne Capital Management. The sale price was not disclosed.
Clery’s has been on Dublin’s O’Connell Street for 162 years.
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