Irish department store group Arnotts has said it will make up to 580 staff redundant.

The losses will come during the reconstruction of the Northern Quarter in Dublin city centre.

The group employs 950 people and said that, after the construction, the number will rise to 1,200, taking into account the job cuts. Arnotts is relocating from its Henry Street store in Dublin to a former Debenhams store in the Jervis centre this summer. A Boyers store on North Earl Street is also being converted to an Arnotts furniture and home store, scheduled to open in August.

Mandate trade union assistant general secretary Linda Tanham said: “It’s a sad day for a lot of Arnotts’ and Boyers’ loyal staff, who’ve given years of loyal service to the company and its customers. The development of the Northern Quarter is coming at a huge cost to these workers and their families.”

Topics