Hughes & Hughes closed down this evening

johngalway

Apparently gone to the wall, that's a shock!

blond45

did staff get any warning? who,s next.

hairyfairy00

Was open when i was out in Tesco about 2pm, hope it's not true. Adam's childrens' clothing store is also closing down, it's a shame to see so many places go!

canalman

Not surprised.
I loved bookshops but never liked
H&H.

brianthebard

Damn did we miss the sale?

Sponge Bob

Receivership not Examinership. Vero Moda, Jack & Jones ( shop inside Born) Only and Name It went into Examinership while William Hill has put all its Irish outlets under review.

That was this afternoons news.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0226/hugheshughes.html

One of the country's largest bookshop chains, Hughes and Hughes, has gone into receivership, threatening 225 jobs.

In a statement issued today, the company said it had been operating in an environment of collapsing consumer demand due to the recession and exchange rate differential with sterling.

The company also blamed the collapse in passenger numbers through Dublin and Cork airport where the much of the Hughes & Hughes business was generated through its concessions there.

High retail rents and competition from internet booksellers were also factors in the company's downturn.

Directors and management said they had invited Ulster Bank Ireland Limited to appoint David Carson of Deloitte as receiver to the company.

Hughes & Hughes has been in operation for around 26 years.

LadyMayBelle

That's a shame, I had a tenner left on a voucher.

deisemum

I've got over €100 worth of gift cards. Shame.

This isn't specifically a Galway matter.

It was closed at 7ish and there were some staff inside sitting in the coffee shop.

banshee_bones

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

That's a shame, I had a tenner left on a voucher.

deisemum wrote: »

I've got over €100 worth of gift cards. Shame.

Im sure they wont be closing for good right away, these things usually take a little while don't they? Im sure you can still go in and use your vouchers!

DonnieScribbles

banshee_bones wrote: »

Im sure they wont be closing for good right away, these things usually take a little while don't they? Im sure you can still go in and use your vouchers!

They're closed immediately and indefinitely, my sister works/worked there.

Staff got no warning!

banshee_bones

DonnieScribbles wrote: »

They're closed immediately and indefinitely, my sister works/worked there.

Staff got no warning!

Jesus that is awful.... I know a girl who works there too..... bad times

banshee_bones

banshee_bones wrote: »

Im sure they wont be closing for good right away, these things usually take a little while don't they? Im sure you can still go in and use your vouchers!

Not necessarily - at best these represent an unsecured claim on the assets of the business.

All the stock and any assets would have to be sold, the banks, government and other preferred creditors paid off and then if anything is left the unsecured creditors would get it.

Vouchers are probably worthless.

banshee_bones

Deleted User wrote: »

Not necessarily - at best these represent an unsecured claim on the assets of the business.

All the stock and any assets would have to be sold, the banks, government and other preferred creditors paid off and then if anything is left the unsecured creditors would get it.

Vouchers are probably worthless.

Thats really such a shame.... i books

stellarartois

Who gives a shít?

LadyMayBelle

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

People we know have lost their jobs just like that. No work to get up for in the morning and have families/mortgages/loans. I'd give a s*it.

johngalway

I went to school with a guy who works there so I give a **** as well.

patwicklow

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

People we know have lost their jobs just like that. No work to get up for in the morning and have families/mortgages/loans. I'd give a s*it.

true i was in there last year and got some really nice hardback books for gifts
such a shame just goes to show the way this country is going and getting worse day by day.

?Cee?view

It's sad to see it go. I think that they may have overextended themselves somewhat at the height of the boom. They spent a huge amount of money, and entered into amazingly expensive long term arrangements, to get prime spots in Airports. I think it's London City where they payed way over the odds.

It made great sense when things were going well, but unfortunately these days, decisions which in the past seemed like great business successes are often now the causes of businesses failing.

LadyMayBelle

The one thing I always liked about it was the 'staff's picks'..seemed like they only employed staff who actually enjoyed reading and knew their stuff.. makes a shop a bit more personal. Sorry to hear it's gone, what'll happen in the airports I wonder, aren't they the main newspaper/books provider?

biko

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

Mind your manners.

fergiesfolly

Hey Stellaratois. Care to explain your comment. In the present climate,its a callous, mean spirited thing to say, when there are people out there who have just lost their jobs. And if not..I say BAN the gobs**te

mikom

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

Dude show some compassion like the the other posters who knew people that worked there.....
For those workers it's literately the worst day of their lives. :cool:

wet-paint

Jumping on the criticising bandwagon, I'd say show some perspective.
Losing your job is the worst day of your life?

Right.

Xiney

wet-paint wrote: »

Jumping on the criticising bandwagon, I'd say show some perspective.
Losing your job is the worst day of your life?

Right.

It was one of the worst days. I'd say... top 3 or so...

nice1franko

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

I don't think you understand how a forum works. If you don't care about the topic and have nothing to say then you don't post on the thread.

99.9% of people don't give a shít about McDermott's in castlebar but we don't all post up about to say so.

biko

Ok, point made. Back on topic now everyone, thanks.

Poke

The 225 staff who now find themselves jobless and unable to pay their bills,
The customers who came into the stores weekly,
The fish in the tanks!

It is the end of an Irish family business that was a landmark in Dublin Airport. Hughes & Hughes was not like alot of other retailers coming into Ireland when the going was good, they sat it our during the 80's and brought bookselling onto another level in Ireland. They embraced the Sony e-reader and any changes that came their way. They did not deserve such a horrible end. We can all just now hope that a buyer can be found & the 225 staff who always acted professionally when dealing with us are re-employed.
As a nation we need to start supporting retail. I really hope that all who worked so hard in H&H over the past 26 years are okay & a favourable outcome can be found.

old_aussie

The shock of the sudden closure will take time to hit.

It's a shame, not only will the shop staff be affected there will be a negative flow-on to the support people associated with the business.

Delivery drivers, book binders, the local coffee shop where the staff got morning tea, the local eateries etc. ...need I go on.

Even worse for the people with family and mortgages.

There should have at least been a public notice in the local paper to advise of the closure so the many people who had vouchers and such could redeem them.

They should still honour the vouchers by having one staff member open the shop for a week or so.

Damn shame!:(

LucyBliss

Xiney wrote: »

It was one of the worst days. I'd say... top 3 or so...

Me too. When I lost my job a few years ago, the shock hit me something terrible. I honestly didn't expect to walk into work that day and be told by lunchtime that our department was closing down. So yeah, one of the worst days.

I'm sorry to see Hughes & Hughes go. It was a nice welcoming shop. Manys the time I went in there to browse and came out buying something. Though really I suppose I should have known something was up when some of the newer books were 70% off a few weeks ago. I'm also sorry that an Irish retailer has gone to the wall.

forumfiend

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

When I saw this I took it to mean who gives a shít about somebody losing out on a few vouchers when a shopload of people have lost their jobs.

musicmaster

stellarartois wrote: »

Who gives a shít?

I lost my job in Hughes and Hughes last night after five years...and it was awful...I think that you have no shame about hurting those who've lost their jobs and to make such a callous, careless remark shows how removed you are from the real world...What if that was you, and you had a wife and mortgage, would you be "Giving a S&!T" then? Yes, you'd be pretty annoyed.

Staff got NO warning, a reciever from Deloitte came in and briefed staff about it - we were told there were "receivers" around the country at the different branches as we spoke...within 10 minutes the shutters had to come down and customers were told to leave...that was it...a notice was ready to stick on the window and our jobs were gone in a flash...

So please, have some consideration for such a cruel remark because Karma has a way of coming back on people like you...

Thanks to other posters who tried to set this poster straight too...

LadyMayBelle

Musicmaster, I hope something works out for you. I can't imagine what it is like to go to work and then ten minutes later be out of a job. It's shocking, and I thought we were on our way out of this recession nightmare.
Best of luck.

musicmaster

LadyPennyworth, Thanks, mean alot to hear it...but life goes on, and we learn from these setbacks...who knows, might get a better job with more more pay if I'm lucky! (fingers crossed!)

planetX

Really sad reading this, I loved that shop. The coffee shop inside was great too. It's scary how many shops are empty in the Eyre square centre too. We'll end up with nothing but mobile phone shops

mikom

mikom wrote: »

Dude show some compassion like the the other posters who knew people that worked there.....
For those workers it's literately the worst day of their lives. :cool:

wet-paint wrote: »

Jumping on the criticising bandwagon, I'd say show some perspective.
Losing your job is the worst day of your life?

Right.

Hughes & Hughes ..... literately...... bookstore
Twas the lighter side I was showing, not perspective.
Do please try to keep up.

stellarartois

musicmaster wrote: »

I lost my job in Hughes and Hughes last night after five years...and it was awful...I think that you have no shame about hurting those who've lost their jobs and to make such a callous, careless remark shows how removed you are from the real world...What if that was you, and you had a wife and mortgage, would you be "Giving a S&!T" then? Yes, you'd be pretty annoyed.

Staff got NO warning, a reciever from Deloitte came in and briefed staff about it - we were told there were "receivers" around the country at the different branches as we spoke...within 10 minutes the shutters had to come down and customers were told to leave...that was it...a notice was ready to stick on the window and our jobs were gone in a flash...

So please, have some consideration for such a cruel remark because Karma has a way of coming back on people like you...

Thanks to other posters who tried to set this poster straight too...

Ara sure if you are really a music master you'll be fine!

PopeBuckfastXVI

stellarartois wrote: »

Ara sure if you are really a music master you'll be fine!

If I'd seen your comments in this thread before I infracted you on the other one you would have been taking a few weeks out instead of looking at a yellow card.

If you can't play here nicely you won't play here at all.

/moderation

There is a notice in the window saying that vouchers and any deposits will not be honoured - people with claims can send them to the accountants in Dublin and they will be added to the list of unsecured creditors.

unJustMary

wet-paint wrote: »

Losing your job is the worst day of your life?
Right.

If you're young and/or haven't had many other bad days, then yes it can easily be. Ditto if you have a lot of personal emotional investment in your job (unlikely for some bookshop staff - but some will have, eg managers who've worked hard for years to build a strong team, folks who've never worked anywhere else, folks who dreamed for years of working in a bookshop as opposed to a supermarket checkout)

Those of us who are older and have been thru a few jobs, buried a few relatives etc have a different perspective. That's not to say it's better or worse, just different.

Buglim

Purchased there regularly, nice staff.....it's a shame.

toadfly

Just heard on the news that 120 of these jobs based in airports are saved, Easons taking over. Its something at least.:D

deisemum

I wonder can Hughes & Hughes giftcards be used there.

deisemum

deisemum wrote: »

I wonder can Hughes & Hughes giftcards be used there.

I doubt it - these will be eason shops when they re-open.

You will have to make a claim on Hughes and Hughes as an unsecured creditor.

toadfly

deisemum wrote: »

I wonder can Hughes & Hughes giftcards be used there.

you never know they might as a good customer service/marketing idea, good advertising for them.

johngalway

I wonder can someone tell me, you know the coffee shop that was down the back of Hughes & Hughes in the Galway Shopping Centre. What was the relationship between the bookshop and coffee shop? I was wondering about that the last day, I presume they're not the same company.

unJustMary

deisemum wrote: »

I wonder can Hughes & Hughes giftcards be used there.

Imagine trying: the staff member will raise an eyebrow quizzically, and say "who's and who's?"


Another law of economics for recessionary times: always use gift vouchers ASAP.

Fenster

No loss. They had a truly atrocious SF/fantasy section.

banshee_bones

Heard on the news that Easons have taken over the chain and the jobs have been saved?

also heard something about the airport branches, wasnt listening too closely, was it just those or all of them?

banshee_bones

banshee_bones wrote: »

Heard on the news that Easons have taken over the chain and the jobs have been saved?

also heard something about the airport branches, wasnt listening too closely, was it just those or all of them?

Eason are only taking the airport shops.

coldwood92

Easons will probbably take over like they did in the aiports