‘A huge shock’: Mothercare Ireland has gone into liquidation

It has been confirmed that Mothercare Ireland has gone into liquidation. Their 14 Irish stores will close with 197 set to lose their jobs.

The sad news was confirmed in a statement by Mothercare Ireland Managing Director, Jonathan Ward, "When COVID-19 began to spread in Ireland no one knew the scale of the impact that this would have.  I think it’s also fair to say that three months on we are still unsure as to the extent and the duration that COVID-19 will be a factor in our lives. 

"The impact on our business to date is unprecedented and  what has become clear over the recent weeks is that store sales are going to continue to be seriously impacted in the short term whilst social distancing measures are in place and longer term as consumer habits permanently change.  Our own projections on future store sales were very similar to 360 other companies in a recent Retail Excellence report. 

"We had already experienced issues with our supply chain in 2020 and when we factor the COVID-19 impact on top of this we are forecasting substantial losses this year alone.  Unfortunately our business is now no longer sustainable as it will continue to make losses into the future.

 "As a family business, it is devastating news for the entire team.  Whilst we’ve tried to keep our teams as up to date as possible through these challenging times, it’s still a huge shock. I’d like to personally thank all our loyal management and staff for their dedication and service to our customers over the years.

"We’d like to acknowledge also the support of our customers, who have trusted us to look after their little ones for three generations, and to all our suppliers who have worked alongside us over the last 28 years.”

Mothercare has been part of the lives of families in Ireland since 1992 and this sad news marks the end of an era. They operated 14 stores across Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick, Newbridge, Portlaoise, Sligo and Tralee, employing 197 people.