THE venerable Harry Moore who, to use his own catchphrase, has been retailing domestic electrical products in Ireland "for more years than I care to remember", may by now be reconciled to seeing his long established business plugged in to Dixons, the British electronic goods giant. Harry, who opened his first store in Dawson Street in 1943, now operates seven stores in greater Dublin and over the changing years has survived the intense cut price competitive pressure of the fundamental changes in electrical goods retailing.

Harry Moore, which, according to its last returns, has fixed assets of £1.2 million, produced trading profits last year of just over £100,000. The business employs around 160 people in its seven shops. Prestigious outlets in the Square, Tallaght, and the new Blanchardstown shopping centre, are understood to have been the key attractions.

Dixons, with 800 shops throughout the UK, including to stores in the North, has already opened its first outlet in the Republic in the new Jervis shopping centre in Dublin. A company spokesman said the group had a £10 million, 300 job expansion plan for the Republic to capture a slice of the burgeoning business in electrical goods as the current consumer boom gathers momentum.

Coincidentally this week Dixon's current half yearly results to the end of November last showing a whopping 53 per cent increase in group pretax profits to £57.5 million sterling.

Should the deal go ahead, the acquisition would considerably strengthen Dixons presence in greater Dublin and pose a serious challenge to the market leader Power City.