Bargain hunters: Queues form all over Ireland as New Look closing down sale takes place

A long line of bargain hunters queued up outside New Look in Limerick city this Sunday ahead of the store's closing down sale.

Mary Immaculate College lecturer, historian and Limerick Leader columnist Paul O'Brien took a photo of the queue while on Cruises Street, which he shared on X.

There was shock earlier this week as New Look announced the closure of its Irish stores with the retailer's 347 employees across the country facing redundancy.

The UK clothing retailer has 26 stores in the Republic of Ireland - in Dublin (6), Cork (4), Galway (2), Wicklow (2), Carlow, Clonmel, Navan, Limerick, Dungarvan, Newbridge, Killarney, Dungarvan, Wexford, Mullingar, Letterkenny and Castlebar. 

New Look stores were closed on Friday and Saturday, before re-opening this Sunday, February 23 for a clearance sale. It has drawn a big crowd to not only the Limerick shop, but multiple throughout the country, as seen on social media below.

Some staff in New Look found humour in this sad situation, with members of a store in the east of the country posting the following TikTok with the caption, "Any jobs going??" The video details four young staff members preparing for the closing down sale. 

@brona.ggg Any jobs going ?? #newlook ♬ original sound - Sports

Amongst the crazy queues was New Look's Newbridge store, with this video showing a line of hundreds of customers waiting to hopefully get their hands on a bargain. 

@keelyfarrell97 Crazy stuff #newlook #clearancesale ♬ Godforsaken place - Skelly

New Look's Blanchardstown shop was busy both inside and outside, with queues forming to get into the shop, and dozens queuing inside also, to pay at the till. 

@rachels_handmade_resin newlook closing in ireland.....crazy in blanchardstown today #shopping #newlook #newlookclosing #newlookblanchardstown #blanchardstown ♬ Shopping - Wiliam Show

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Also bracing the status yellow wind and rain warning were the people of Killarney, who queued up outside in the wind and rain in hopes of securing a bargain before the shop's sad closure. 

@mariaosullivan101 Just a girl tryna spend her vouchers #newlook #newlookclosing #itshellinthere ♬ original sound - frankie

It is understood that some people queuing have been told by New Look staff that they may face up to a two hour wait before entering the store, due to the high volume of customers. 

In a statement released on Thursday, New Look said they have "sought the appointment of Provisional Liquidators as it seeks to wind down its Irish operations following several years of sustained losses and challenging market conditions."

All of the stores closed their doors within minutes of the High Court application being granted.

The retailer said that staff were notified immediately and further staff engagement is planned over the coming days. The statement added: "Regrettably, a collective redundancy process, impacting all colleagues in the ROI is also envisaged."

New Look said the decision was not taken lightly, however its Irish operation has "struggled for some years" with supply-chain and in-market costs as well as squeezed consumer spending. 

The statement said: "New Look has undergone changes to adapt to this market – including marketing initiatives, store adaptations and price range trials - however, following a strategic review of the Irish business, New Look Group concluded it was no longer viable to continue trading in Ireland. The Group will refocus investment on its UK business and its digital offering."

A New Look spokesperson added: "Over the past few years, we have had to navigate a tough external environment which has only become more unpredictable. We have adapted to this evolving landscape by investing in our product proposition and digital offer. However, due to the increasingly volatile trading conditions we needed to expedite our existing plans, which included conducting a review of our operations in the Republic of Ireland.

"Following this review, the group regrettably concluded it was no longer viable to continue trading here, so it has made the difficult but necessary decision to enter liquidation in this market.

"Our Irish business has struggled for many years due to rising costs and squeezed consumer spending, despite our efforts to turnaround the performance. Our focus now is on supporting our colleagues through this process. We remain confident in the UK market and take pride in offering our customers great-value, high-quality fashion."