Ireland's Dunnes pulling out of Britain amid Brexit uncertainty

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 19, 2018

Dunnes, the Irish department store chain, has closed all its Scottish shops and its second-last remaining store in England, effectively leaving the British market amid concerns of rising costs after Brexit.

According to local media reports, the company had considered scaling up across Britain less than three years ago, when it had five stores in Scotland in six in northern England. Around 40 new stores were considered for the British market, however the EU referendum seems to have affected its plans.

Over the past few months, Dunnes closed all five stores in Scotland, including its flagship store in Cumbernauld. The second-last remaining English shop in Heywood ceased trading this weekend. There is still a Dunnes store in Northampton, whose future could now be at risk.

The department store chain continues to operate 16 stores in Northern Ireland.

According to reports in the local press, Dunnes is "pulling out of the UK market with Brexit future costs being seen as the main contributor to their decision".

Dunnes stores sell women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, as well as food and homeware.

In 2016, the company recorded a pre-tax loss of £5.1m on revenues of £99.85m, down 21.7% on the previous year.