Tullamore Chamber chief 'surprised' at Argos decision to close

Argos' unexpected decision to close all its stores in the State, including its outlet at the Tullamore Retail Park, has been greeted with surprise by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Tullamore and District Chamber of Commerce President, Anthony Hanniffy said the closure would be a blow to the town's retail offering.

He also said the news was heartbreaking for the 15 to 20 workers and their families employed in Tullamore.

“Argos has been a very popular outlet with shoppers in Tullamore and the surrounding area for over a decade and a half,” outlined Mr Hanniffy.

He also expressed surprised the company was to discontinue its online shopping business in the Republic.

Mr Hanniffy did welcome Argos's statement that it will do “everything it can to support its 580 workers across 34 stores in the State.”

He noted the promise by Argos that it will propose an enhanced redundancy package that goes well beyond its statutory obligations.

Argos will begin the process of gradually winding down its Irish business immediately with the Tullamore store closing on June 24.

Customers in Ireland will no longer be able to pay for orders via the Argos website or place orders via its home delivery service after March 22. Orders placed up to this date will continue to be fulfilled and customers will still be able to reserve products online and pay for them in store until the point of business closure.