BREAKING: M&S Drogheda to close with loss of 57 jobs

M&S has announced today that it is to close the M&S Drogheda store, resulting in the loss of 57 full time and part time jobs. The Drogheda store will remain trading for customers until Friday 8 March.

Staff at the Drogheda store, comprising 38 full time staff and 19 part time staff, have been informed of the news this morning.  

In a statement this morning, Eddie Murphy, Country Director Ireland & Northern Ireland, said: “M&S is committed to Ireland and we have ambitious plans for growth including doubling the number of Irish-based suppliers we work with.

"Our recent Christmas trading figures show we’re heading in the right direction. However, we also need to modernise our business to safeguard what we have achieved. Shopping habits are changing, and we are shaping our store estate to focus our investment on the right stores in the right places.

“We have made the tough decision to close our Drogheda store because the shopping centre has low occupancy - requiring significant investment - and its sales performance is behind the rest of our store estate. We’ve shared this news with affected colleagues today and our priority now is to support them through these changes.  

“We understand there will be some disappointment with our announcement, but we believe that this decision is the right one for the future of M&S in Ireland - allowing us to invest in our store estate, expand our Irish supply base and continue to build our partnership with Applegreen, whilst offering our customers exceptional value, quality, service and innovation.”