Marks & Spencer is still on course for further expansion in Ireland and is actively seeking to open stores in south Dublin, Galway, Limerick and possibly at one other location.
The company does not disclose trading figures for its four stores in Dublin and Cork, which are grouped under its overall European division, but it said yesterday it had enjoyed strong growth here in the first six months of 1998.
"This growth is a reflection of an on-going investment programme alongside a stable economy," it added.
This year, Marks & Spencer has completed the redevelopment of its Mary Street store in Dublin and opened a new store at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. The development of these stores is part of a £100 million investment programme in Ireland over three years. To date these expansions have given the group an additional 40 per cent selling space in the Irish market.
Marks & Spencer employs 1,200 people in the Republic where it has been trading since 1979. It also has seven stores in Northern Ireland.
