One hundred and twenty former Hughes & Hughes jobs saved as Eason expands into Irish airports

Eason & Son today (4/3/2010) announced that the company has secured the bookshop license to operate in Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport and at Cork Airport.  The company will take over the operation of the five units at Dublin Airport and the two units at Cork Airport.  Eason’s new license to operate the stores takes effect tomorrow, 5^th March 2010.  These had been previously operated by Hughes & Hughes which went into receivership last week.  Today’s announcement will mean that in the region of 120 jobs which had been under threat following Hughes & Hughes going into receivership will be saved.

Mr Conor Whelan, Managing Director of Eason said ‘The retail environment in Ireland remains extremely challenging and we have a great deal of sympathy for the management and staff at Hughes & Hughes which has been a longstanding and respected competitor.  Nevertheless, we are pleased that Eason is in a position to ensure that another strong Irish book brand will operate in Dublin and Cork Airports.  These are prestigious retail locations and we decided to take up this opportunity, despite the challenging marketplace at present.  The prime locations will ensure that Irish and foreign travellers alike are greeted with a strong, well-established, inherently Irish brand when arriving or departing from Ireland through these airports.’

The licenses to operate at Dublin and Cork Airports are recognised as being the most attractive part of the former Hughes & Hughes business.  Over 20 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport in 2009 with 2.8 million passing through Cork Airport.

Eason & Son is one of Ireland’s most recognised brands and is operating in Ireland for 125 years.  Eason Advertising is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eason & Son.

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