Danish retailer Normal to open in Cork while Irish clothes firm Born closes city stores
Normal will open its Cork store at the Queens Old Castle next month.
Danish retailer Normal is to open its brand new store in Cork next month, while another well known retailer - Born - is closing three of its stores in the city.
Located at Queen’s Old Castle in the city centre, the Normal store opening is the third such store in Ireland and the first outside of Dublin.
The new Cork store spans 563m² of sales space and will employ approximately 30–35 team members.
The Cork store opening hours on Thursday May 7 will be from 8am to 9pm.
Including a combination of personal care, household essentials, snacks and drinks, Normal features a mix of well known brands such as L’Oréal, Maybelline, Nivea, Gillette, Colgate, Garnier, Nescafé, Oreo, Vanish and Finish, as well as exclusive brands such as PUCA Pure&Care, Alva and The Hair Project.
Since opening its first store in Denmark in 2013, NORMAL has expanded to more than 1000 locations across Europe. This includes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria and Ireland.
Meanwhile, the Irish retail chain Born Clothing has announced the closure of its 15 stores across the country with the loss of over 100 jobs.
In Cork the company has stores in Wilton Shopping Centre, Douglas Village centre and Merchant’s Quay.
The company, which opened its first store in Newtownsmith in Galway in 2009, made the announcement in an Instagram post yesterday. They said that after 16 years it was "time to say goodbye".
The post added: “We want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support over the years — for shopping with us, supporting us, and being part of our journey.
"To our wonderful team thank you for being the heart and soul of our business. Your loyalty and dedication will always be appreciated.
"As we close this chapter our closing down sale begins tomorrow in stores, with up to 70% off everything. With love to everyone in Born.”
The company stocked Vero Moda, Only, Vila and their own Emily & Me label with stores in Galway, Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Laois, Tipperary Westmeath, Leitrim, Mayo and Kerry.
The High Court appointed provisional liquidators to the group on Tuesday. The court heard that business difficulties arose for reasons which included the pandemic, the increase in the minimum wage and high business rates.
At its peak Born had over 20 stores in Ireland. It currently employs 116 people.
A notice on their website indicates that gift vouchers cannot be accepted because they are in liquidation.
It further states that at item bought during the liquidation sale will have a 30-day refund or return policy, providing there is a valid reason and the customer has a valid liquidation sales customer receipt.
App?
