IKEA vague on Mallow store plans
A MULTINATIONAL company downplayed plans to move to Mallow in the near future amidst mounting speculation.
Retail giant IKEA revealed to the national media earlier this week that they will examine the possibility of expanding their stores in the Republic of Ireland.
Marking the first anniversary of their only Irish store located in Dublin, the company confirmed that the Irish operation has been a success.
Refusing to confirm whether there are plans to move the IKEA store to county Cork, a spokesperson said that they are examining sites for potential stores.
Because Mallow is known as the cross-roads of Munster, it has been strongly mooted as the potential location for the popular retail store.
The IKEA move has been widely welcomed in Mallow town which recorded 2,836 people on the unemployment register last month. The figures revealed a steep 377 increase from the previous year.
Meanwhile, county Cllr Tom Barry is confident that the former sugar factory site will become a source of employment in the next two years. In 2006 Mallow Sugar Factory closed resulting in the direct loss of 330 jobs.
Stressing the importance of promoting ethanol production as the future of Mallow industry, Cllr Barry is hopeful that the site could be utilised to convert sugar, fodder beet, wheat and mischanthus into ethanol.
"An ethanol plant would create at least 100 sustainable jobs for Mallow. The sugar factory is still an ideal spot to local heavy industry," said Cllr Barry.
- LOUISE MCCARTHY
