Opening of Next store in Swords to create 86 jobs

SOME 86 jobs will be created with the opening of a new Next store in the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Swords, county Dublin.

The store, which opened yesterday, includes clothing and homeware sections and will trade over two floors.

The latest jobs announcement brings the number of new jobs created at the shopping centre this year to just over 210.

Swords Pavilion was acquired by property company Chartered Land in 2006.

Located beside the M1 in north Dublin, it has 80 stores and an 11- screen cinema complex. Chartered Land also owns the Dundrum Shopping Centre in south Dublin.

Next is one of a number of retail stores to open a branch at the Pavilion in Swords this year. The British company is believed to be taking advantage of the weak retail market by leasing the store at a discounted rent.

Other stores at the centre include Mango, Awear, Tommy Hilfiger, Zara and HM.

Swords Pavilion employs approximately 1,500 staff across its retail units.

The centre attracted 11 million customers last year, a number that is believed to have increased this year.

Next is one of the UK’s largest department stores, with approximately 500 stores in Britain and Ireland.

The company has about 50 stores in Ireland, including a concession store, and a small number of standalone homeware stores.

Despite the economic downturn, Next reported an 18 per cent rise in profits for the year ended January 2010.