Iconic 195-year-old British department store closes branch FOREVER with ‘33 jobs lost’

AN ICONIC department store with nearly two centuries of history will officially shut one of its city centre branches today . 33 employees are likely to lose their jobs at the department store after the business failed to reach a rescue deal. A British-founded department store will close its only location in Ireland after it was assigned liquidators Credit: Alamy Harvey Nichols has been based in Dublin’s Dundrum Town Centre since 2005 Credit: Google Maps Harvey Nichols in Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin will officially shut today (September 13) after 21 years. The decision came after the department store chain was rescued from the brink of collapse by Mike Ashley‘s Frasers Group. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Frasers Group paid roughly £40million to bring six Harvey Nichols stores, including Knightsbridge, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh, into its empire. Upon the announcement of the rescue deal, Frasers Group had confirmed it would support trading at the Dublin branch, with certain assets, including stock and fixtures, snapped up during the transaction. However, following discussions, liquidators were assigned to the department store after it was revealed the branch was unable to pay its debts. Written evidence submitted to Ireland’s High Court suggested that the Dublin store had not recovered from poor trading during Covid-19. Annual rent had cost the company nearly £1million, with net liabilities rising to £24.09million by the end of the 2026 financial year. Harvey Nichols has been based in Dublin since 2005, employing 33 people prior to its collapse. Most read in Money Spanning 32,000 sq ft and based across three floors, the store initially became the anchor tenant for the shopping centre when it first launched. Harvey Nichols fans will now have to travel to England or Scotland to visit the department store in the future. Comment now