Carpetright will close seven of its 25 stores in the Republic of Ireland as sales plummet by more than 50% over the past three years.

The floorings retailer said it saw no signs of recovery in the region so decided to close the stores after a business review. The closures could result in the loss of 19 jobs. A consultation is ongoing with the affected employees.

A company statement said: “This has been a difficult but necessary decision in the face of steep declines in both customer footfall and sales volumes over a prolonged period.  On completion of this process the business will be in a stronger position to await a recovery in economic conditions.”

The floorings giant issued a profit warning in February as its like-for-likes slumped 7.7% in the UK and Republic of Ireland in the 13 weeks to January 29.

Carpetright is the second high-profile retailer to close Irish stores in the past two weeks. Clinton Cards placed its Birthdays Ireland chain, which operated 14 stores, into liquidation last week.

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