13 jobs at risk in Mayo as EuroGiant goes into liquidation

Thirteen employees across two EuroGiant stores in Westport and Ballina in County Mayo are among 640 staff nationwide facing job uncertainty after the discount retail chain entered court-appointed liquidation yesterday.

The shops in Ballina and Westport will continue to trade as normal for the foreseeable future.

The Irish-owned business, which has traded for over three decades, cited rising costs and increased competition as the primary factors behind its collapse. All stores, including the two Mayo outlets, will remain open while liquidators Mark Degnan and Brendan O'Reilly of Interpath conduct a full review of the store network.

A company spokesperson confirmed that escalating rent and operating expenses, combined with fierce competition in the retail sector, had rendered the business "no longer viable in its current form."

The liquidation affects EuroGeneral Limited and Bushgrove Limited, the entities trading as EuroGiant, which operated 77 company-owned stores across more than 20 counties including Mayo.

Founder Charlie O'Loughlin, who established the business from a single Dublin store over 30 years ago, expressed deep regret at the outcome. "This is a very hard day for me personally. I founded this business over 30 years ago, and I never imagined it would end like this," he said.

Mr O'Loughlin emphasised his concern for staff members, many of whom had dedicated significant portions of their careers to the company. "What matters most to me now is our staff. Many people have given a huge part of their working lives to the company, and I know how worrying and unsettling this will be for them and their families. I am deeply sorry that this is where things have gotten to."

The founder insisted the company had exhausted all realistic options to continue trading before entering liquidation. His focus now turns to supporting an orderly wind-down and working with liquidators to secure the best possible outcome for employees.