The Argos store in Letterkenny will close permanently at 5pm this evening.
All other 29 remaining Argos stores in the Republic of Ireland will also shut their doors for the last time today.
The move will result in over 500 employees losing their jobs.
Argos’ parent Sainsbury’s announced in January a plan to shutter the outlets as part of a wider group plan to focus its business on food.
The retailer said it had arrived at the decision to leave the Republic of Ireland following a long period of careful consideration and a thorough review of its business and operations in the country.
The company said its model here was a bespoke one, significantly different to its wider UK operation which will continue to operate and the investment required to develop and modernise the Irish operations was not viable.
“We understand our announcement in January came as difficult news for our customers and colleagues,” said Andy McClelland, Argos Ireland Operations Manager.
“We did not make this decision lightly and I would like to thank everyone that has supported our operation in the Republic of Ireland for over 25 years.”
Argos said it will continue to honour its statutory obligations to customers and has been working closely with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in recent months ahead of the store closures.
It said customers can still contact Argos if they need help with a product purchased in the Republic of Ireland.
They can also contact the company if they have any unspent balance on an Argos Euro Gift Card.
But it warned that Sainsbury’s and Argos stores in the UK, including Northern Ireland, are not able to process refunds, returns or exchanges for products purchased in the Republic.
In relation to staff losing their jobs, the company said it had done everything it could to support its people in the lead up to today.
This has included offering an enhanced redundancy package, a one-off goodwill payment to those not eligible for redundancy and providing a programme of recruitment upskilling and other support.
“We will continue to help those affected however we can as the Irish part of our business winds down,” Mr McClelland said.
The chain has been operating in the Republic of Ireland for 27 years.
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