In a bizarre turn of events it looks like that Anti -Water charge protesters are to blame for the closure of one the countries biggest department store’s Clerys. The claim has come from a group representing the country’s leading retailers.
Th group say that the amount of water charge protests held on Dublin’s O’Connell Street within the last year was one of the major factors for the department store’s closure. The news comes after management at the store told some 400 employees last Friday, that they are no longer required to work at the store as the company has now officially entered into liquidation.
The Deputy CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland Seán Murphy told Radio Kerry last night, that the protests seriously affected the store’s footfall. Mr Murphy said:”It is fair to say that O’Connell Street has witnessed more than its fair share of water protests,” “And those protests taking place on a Saturday, it definitely has affected footfall, and would have affected Clerys, being where it was located, opening on to O’Connell St.
Mr Murphy added: “I’m not saying it was the major contributor, but it was definitely a contributing circumstance.”
Meanwhile a majority of staff at the store have held a number protests over the past week, voicing their disapproval of how they have been treated over their dismissal. Staff also say they have not been paid for more than six weeks and they unsure whether they will receive any form of redundancy package.