Primark to move 220 UK jobs to Dublin headquarters

Primark has announced that it will be moving 220 UK-based product operation roles to its Dublin headquarters.

Redeployment will begin in September 2019 and will affect buying, merchandising, design, quality and sourcing operations staff at the company’s Reading office. At the moment, these operations are split between the UK and Ireland, but will be amalgamated at the Dublin headquarters.

The 220 Reading-based staff members affected by the change have been offered the chance to relocate to Ireland, and may face redundancy as a “last resort” if they don’t. The Reading office will remain open with around 270 staff, Primark said.

Primark chief executive Paul Marchant said in a statement on Thursday: “As the Primark brand continues to expand into new markets and new product categories, it is essential we deliver an exciting and consistent product proposition to all our customers.”

Redundancy ‘last resort’ if staff don’t accept relocation

Marchant said the change aims to ensure the company's business strategy and expansion into new international markets is fully supported.

Lorraine Culligan, the group's director of people and culture at Primark, added: “It is important that the scale of our business and the needs of our customers are reflected in our internal structures as Primark continues to grow. All of our people who are in any affected roles will have the opportunity to work in Dublin.

“Our colleagues will be fully supported during this period of change. Primark’s office in Reading continues to play a vital role in our business and many of our teams across a number of core functions will continue to be based there.”

The news comes just a week after Primark said they expected H1 sales to increase by 4 percent, and amid heightened Brexit uncertainty, with the UK's planned departure from the European Union on 29 March just around the corner.

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