Dunnes Stores to be sold

Keith186

MIN2511 wrote: »

WTF....

Seriously, are there any more Irish owned shops anymore???

I found out yesterday that Spar is German

Don't despair Centra is here (or just a walk away!).:D

It's owned by Musgraves and they are Irish.

Silrog

MIN2511 wrote: »

WTF....

Seriously, are there any more Irish owned shops anymore???

I found out yesterday that Spar is German

That ain't true. There is a German word "Spar(en)", but the company Spar consists of independent stores that unite as Spar. The headquarters are in the Netherlands, where the company was born too.

Btw. - what would be bad about Spar being German ?

Alun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPAR tells you all you need to know (and more) about SPAR and it's origins.

getz

if walmart buy dunnes i think they will not change the name to asda ,most likely it still will be called dunnes part of the walmart family

Heyes

Its not going to be sold, its media speculation.

Dooish

never going to happen as the size of the average dunnes stores would be to small for them. the majority of the stores in the north are classed as small with the exception of enniskillen and strabane and they are only classed as large.

when safeway took over the old wellworths stores in the north, the first thing they done was to cherry pick the best and sell the rest. the same would happen with asda, cherry pick the best and flog or close the rest.

i would say that a superquinn take over would be more likely than dunnes

Nic'name

I heard Superquinn are nearly gone too must ask my boyf again he told me. Any news about Dunnes yet they still keepin quiet?

MIN2511

Keith186 wrote: »

Don't despair Centra is here (or just a walk away!).:D

It's owned by Musgraves and they are Irish.

Thank God!

Silrog wrote: »

That ain't true. There is a German word "Spar(en)", but the company Spar consists of independent stores that unite as Spar. The headquarters are in the Netherlands, where the company was born too.

Btw. - what would be bad about Spar being German ?

Nope nothing bad, just there is nothing Irish anymore.... Germans and Brits have taken over! No more corner shops, all Spar!!!

Longerview

ALDI plan to open over 30 new stores in the next 3 years.Will Dunnes have much choice in the end.The competition is increasing and the recession is making people very aware of prices.Dunnes will have to revert to their previous "better value" model or sell to ASDA.Either way ,shopping will be cheaper !

jesus_thats_gre

Heyes wrote: »

Its not going to be sold, its media speculation.

Lol, you seem quite sure of yourself.


All those recent 25% off sales apparent sole purpose were to make sales look better. They paid for this by cutting chunks out of the hours given to part time staff.. They have also apparently stopped rolling out new stores.

Note: the aggressive roll out of new stores was done so in order to put off any potential buyers. This decision has been reversed already apparently.

Agent Smith

i bought it.



there.


you happy?

TheBigFella

Michael Jackson has just been spotted in a Dunnes Stores in Dublin.

Apparently he heard the boys underwear was 50% off .

Our man in Havana

Hopefully, some huge changes will be made, like getting rid of all the extra managers that every store seems to have. Also they should have a rule to prevent staff from doing their shopping whilst in a dunnes uniform.

Sharpshooter

l was talking to a cashier in Dunnes yesterday , and happened to comment on the fact that she didn't look at all well ( dreadful would be more like it ), when she ups and tells me she has the flu.
So l ask her could she not get some time off to go to the doctor?
She replied that " you can go to the doctor and get a sick note, but when you present it in work you get a warning". Do that 3 times = 3 warnings and then you are out.:eek:
How the hell can Dunnes get away with treating their staff with such disregard.
/Shame on Dunnes.

Our man in Havana

Disgraceful indeed.

the groutch

sharpshooterH wrote: »

l was talking to a cashier in Dunnes yesterday , and happened to comment on the fact that she didn't look at all well ( dreadful would be more like it ), when she ups and tells me she has the flu.
So l ask her could she not get some time off to go to the doctor?
She replied that " you can go to the doctor and get a sick note, but when you present it in work you get a warning". Do that 3 times = 3 warnings and then you are out.:eek:
How the hell can Dunnes get away with treating their staff with such disregard.
/Shame on Dunnes.

they're lucky not to face legal action over that, not just the bullying the staff into not taking sick days, but putting every customer at risk of catching the same illness

Last week I was out sick from work for the first time in over 2 years, could very easily have been caught off her or another member of staff who is scared of ringing in sick

If i were you I'd have advised the staff member to do it 3 times, get sacked, and then sue them

4zn76tysfajdxp

sharpshooterH wrote: »

l was talking to a cashier in Dunnes yesterday , and happened to comment on the fact that she didn't look at all well ( dreadful would be more like it ), when she ups and tells me she has the flu.
So l ask her could she not get some time off to go to the doctor?
She replied that " you can go to the doctor and get a sick note, but when you present it in work you get a warning". Do that 3 times = 3 warnings and then you are out.:eek:
How the hell can Dunnes get away with treating their staff with such disregard.
/Shame on Dunnes.

Yeah I worked in Dunnes last year during christmas and mostly spent my time outside. I caught tonsillitis twice within two weeks and had to miss eight days of work (I couldn't even eat christmas dinner :eek:), all supported by a Doctor's Certificate. Naturally I got a couple of warnings and it was brought up in every evaluation from then on as if I was skiving off like some lazy bum.

****ing Dunnes...

Sharpshooter

Dawson Elegant Sagebrush wrote: »

Yeah I worked in Dunnes last year during christmas and mostly spent my time outside. I caught tonsillitis twice within two weeks and had to miss eight days of work (I couldn't even eat christmas dinner :eek:), all supported by a Doctor's Certificate. Naturally I got a couple of warnings and it was brought up in every evaluation from then on as if I was skiving off like some lazy bum.

****ing Dunnes...

l don't understand how they get away with it, the person l was referring to has been with Dunnes for over 15 years.:(
No exaggeration she looked like she was about to burst into tears, l felt so sorry for her.

the groutch

15 years?

I dont think I'd want to work 15 minutes in a place like that

Our man in Havana

Some of them look like they have spent all their working life in Dunnes. As a result they become institutionalised and crochety. I get screamed at because I select my milk form the back of the fridge not wanting to buy the day old stuff at the front.
"How dare you mess up the display!"

Corruptedmorals

Hmm in my Dunnes you get paid for being off sick if you present a doctor's note, but for me it would cost the same amount of money to get than it would for actually working the day, unless it was on a weekend. (My Store) accept sick notes, but you have to present them strictly every 2 days or so, no excuses. You also can't ring in sick to personnel, you have to ring the store manager too. Oh yeah and I apparently clocked up 14 sick days this years, 5 of which are actual sick days, the rest was where I got someone else to cover my shift without telling personnel (who are never open). People who have 16+ sick days are terrified and come in regardless of how sick they are.

Part time hours were cut, up until about September. Back with a vengeance, I'm currently working 26ish hours a week. As for shopping in the Dunnes uniform- if you're on a clocked 20 minute break and you're pegging it down to grocery- why waste time changing!

francesca420

whats wrong with wearing the uniform while shopping?? some of us have a night shift to start you know.

Our man in Havana

It can often give a very poor impression of how a shop is run. Certainly does where I live.

I've regularly gone into Dunnes and saw the management berating their staff. It's terrible the way they carry on and actually get away with it! Imagine if a union ever formed, but no doubt if they tried to form one, management would be quick to fire them.

Our man in Havana

I believe they do have a union.

Jip

And a powerful at that. Managers aren't in it though. I've never come across a thread where so many people who claim to know so much actually know so little.

the groutch

Deleted User wrote: »

I've regularly gone into Dunnes and saw the management berating their staff. It's terrible the way they carry on and actually get away with it! Imagine if a union ever formed, but no doubt if they tried to form one, management would be quick to fire them.

they wouldn't fire them, becuase those trying to form a union would know their rights and sue dunnes

projectmayhem

Deleted User wrote: »

I've regularly gone into Dunnes and saw the management berating their staff. It's terrible the way they carry on and actually get away with it! Imagine if a union ever formed, but no doubt if they tried to form one, management would be quick to fire them.

Well sometimes, with all due respect, staff need to be berated for being rubbish at their jobs. Not on the shop floor in full view of customers though.

I don't know much about dunnes at all. Been there once or twice, and it never struck me as a particularly bad place, but at the same time it never struck me as a particularly good place either (Blanch S.C.)... Never came accross a member of management teams, but their staff seem like very young zombified drones.

getz

the big problem is that all large supermarkets asda ,tesco ,morrisons ,dunnes ,sainsburys, are keen to take on as managers young people from college and university non of which have management or leadership skills

darrenh

Jip wrote: »

And a powerful at that. Managers aren't in it though. I've never come across a thread where so many people who claim to know so much actually know so little.

i couldn't agree more.




people who miss 16 days should be afraid. thats a crazy amount. some sick calls are honest but I would say at least 75% are lies. long term certified sickness is fair enough but its isolated, single, days that will get you in trouble and rightly so. i thought this thread was about dunnes being sold and not their HR policies. i dont work for dunnes but i know most of what is written in the last few posts is complete and utter rubbish. its turned into a joe duffy show!

briandy

This is great news. Tesco and Asda going head to head should mean big cost cuts.

francesca420

darrenh wrote: »

i couldn't agree more.




people who miss 16 days should be afraid. thats a crazy amount. some sick calls are honest but I would say at least 75% are lies. long term certified sickness is fair enough but its isolated, single, days that will get you in trouble and rightly so. i thought this thread was about dunnes being sold and not their HR policies. i dont work for dunnes but i know most of what is written in the last few posts is complete and utter rubbish. its turned into a joe duffy show!

well the whole asda thing hasnt gone through (yet..ive a feeling its a matter of sooner rather than later) so what else to do but give out about dunnes! but im a night shift worker so all i can give out about is the day staff that i never see, but who's mess i have to tidy up at night.....

Dooish

francesca420 wrote: »

well the whole asda thing hasnt gone through (yet..ive a feeling its a matter of sooner rather than later) so what else to do but give out about dunnes! but im a night shift worker so all i can give out about is the day staff that i never see, but who's mess i have to tidy up at night.....

are you sure that its not customers that pay your wages that messes your work place

ninty9er

the groutch wrote: »

they wouldn't fire them, becuase those trying to form a union would know their rights and sue dunnes

Mandate must have a specific Dunnes Rapid Reaction Unit at this stage.

Read the Mandate website.

copacetic

Heyes wrote: »

Its not going to be sold, its media speculation.

Dooish wrote: »

never going to happen as the size of the average dunnes stores would be to small for them. the majority of the stores in the north are classed as small with the exception of enniskillen and strabane and they are only classed as large.

when safeway took over the old wellworths stores in the north, the first thing they done was to cherry pick the best and sell the rest. the same would happen with asda, cherry pick the best and flog or close the rest.

i would say that a superquinn take over would be more likely than dunnes

Stekelly wrote: »

Thats exactly the announcment btw. The whole asda thing came from someones imagination.

Any of ye got actual reasons for saying the above so dismissively?

I have a really good source that Dunnes is definitely to be sold, with the announcement likely this week or next week at the very latest. Are they wrong?

projectmayhem

projectmayhem wrote: »

Well sometimes, with all due respect, staff need to be berated for being rubbish at their jobs. Not on the shop floor in full view of customers though.

I don't know much about dunnes at all. Been there once or twice, and it never struck me as a particularly bad place, but at the same time it never struck me as a particularly good place either (Blanch S.C.)... Never came accross a member of management teams, but their staff seem like very young zombified drones.

But thats what I mean. If you do a bad job then by all means tell them off. But not right in full view of the customer.

francesca420

Dooish wrote: »

are you sure that its not customers that pay your wages that messes your work place

well i was actually referring to, among other things, what is laughably regarded as an adequate 'face-off' that is done in the evenings consisting of the first row of each product being just about lined up while everything behind it is left untouched and in sh*te.

Notorious

Bond-007 wrote: »

I believe they do have a union.

They do have a union, but part-time staff aren't allowed join the union. Its illegal to stop staff joining a union, I know.

projectmayhem wrote:

Well sometimes, with all due respect, staff need to be berated for being rubbish at their jobs.

I'd have to agree here, but in general the managers I worked with roared, screamed, pushed about, insulted and so on. They really are a terrible bunch. HR are the exact same. You could complain about a manager to HR, but either nothing would come of it, or it would turn around and result in the manager making up stories to get that staff member in trouble. I must say, I didn't give a f*** about my job, but I gave it 110%. Still though, we all got dogs abuse on the floor - and I must say 99% of the time, we never deserved it. We got screamed at in front of customers too. I even had a manager who used to give customers the same abuse she gave us. Never met a bigger b**** in my life. It took me a long time to get my own mother to believe me about all the c**p that used to go on in there.

I would like to add that I don't just have a chip on my shoulder, anyone I worked with will tell you the same. I also worked in the biggest store they have, not one of the small mickey mouse ones. Not every manager was terrible, but the majority were.

More on the post's topic, I've heard from a very reliable source that Dunnes aren't selling at all. Supposedly Mrs. Heffernan isn't even considering it. What she is considering is putting a freeze on the yearly wage rise for staff and managers alike.

Longerview

Latest Google news search shows an article in the "Cumberland News"(Scotland) , saying that Dunnes may be leaving their flagship store in the Antonine Centre,to be replaced by M&S who have apparently already applied to the council to make alterations to this shop.Adds another bit of fuel to the fire on Dunnes stores plans .

Corruptedmorals

Nobody knows anymore, Margaret Heffernan has been in my Dunnes twice since it all started, felt like asking her..but she only really talks to the store manager etc. As for managers..they're moved around so often to different Dunnes at no notice, which is worse than how staff are treated tbh. About 2 or 3 of the managers atm are crap, the rest are fine. My Dunnes is suffering really badly, which might be because we're also renovating. Staff hours cut next week, store hours shortened 2 weeks ago, very few Christmas staff.

obrien_jimmy

Well if you look at whats going on lately

I mean ben dunne presumably doenst get on well with Margeret Heffernan since his buy out in the 90's. He's also been quoted saying even after all his advice of telling everyone in the Evening Hearld that the Dunnes snr management should be all fired and replaced he was quoted afterwards saying that he "didnt belive that his sister had an intention of selling Dunnes Stores"

Alot of what were hearing is pointing to circumstabtial and conflicting rumors, Hell I even heard one proposing that Mandate our own union had leaked this rumor out to encourage more people to join the union coming up to x-mas.

What I do know is that from the Dunnes I work in, is that It's quiet I mean really quiet lately buisness wise, our orders have been cut to ribbons our hours have been trimmed, I know some staff that are doing 6pm-9pm and getting 14 hour weeks which i think is below woring average. My hours have been trimmed too but not that much and even so there always calling me to come in early to get the place sorted out on my section. Our buisness hours were cut too as we only open till 10pm now weekdays

On another note Id like to point out, alot of people that work in my Dunnes complain to varying degress about working in the place (myself included).
all our moaning was been replaced by concern and worry for our job security when that rumor started and to an extent were all alot more on edge in the place and waiting for bad news which I hope wont come myself cuse as it stands ANYONE that has a job lately is very lucky to have it.

Overall I think that the whole thing was a rumor that got way out of hand and I hope im right cuse preety soon ile be the only one bringing an income into my house.
I think if dunnes has something to say they would have said it. I mean the curring of buisness and buisness hours staff and store alike are cost cutting measures that wouldnt have an effect on a buy out atall regardless so why bother doing it? Well to save money and keep the jobs they have, I think the thing ive learned about Dunnes is they hate showing weakness, if they had to lay people off then that would almost be an ultimate show of how bad its got for them.

francesca420

in regards to the slackening of business, i can concur with that too. hours in my store have been stripped to the minimum, the last few nights have been the quietest i've seen for a year (im nightpack) and we were told a certain amount of xmas staff were coming in but i believe that has been cut down a bit too.

on another worrying note, whilst chatting to my boss the other night in relation to general worries about the place, her closing comment was 'sure we mightn't even have a job in january!'

Dooish

copacetic wrote: »

Any of ye got actual reasons for saying the above so dismissively?

I have a really good source that Dunnes is definitely to be sold, with the announcement likely this week or next week at the very latest. Are they wrong?

work for asda, its not happening

stovelid

obrien_jimmy wrote: »

I mean ben dunne presumably doenst get on well with Margeret Heffernan since his buy out in the 90's.

Can you blame him?

It mus be hard for a man in his fifties to admit that his big sister is more manly-looking than him.

Mark200

obrien_jimmy wrote: »

Well to save money and keep the jobs they have, I think the thing ive learned about Dunnes is they hate showing weakness, if they had to lay people off then that would almost be an ultimate show of how bad its got for them.

And I think they're a private, un-limited liability company too. Which means that IF Dunnes Stores were to go into debt, the owners would be held responsible for that debt and could be forced to sell private assets to pay it off.

ash_18x

michael heffernan says it wont be sold off!
see link

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dunnes-stores-heir-says-group--wont-be-sold-off-1558335.html

Corruptedmorals

Yes..but then why have all clothes orders for 2009 been cancelled?

Dob74

ash_18x wrote: »

michael heffernan says it wont be sold off!
see link

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dunnes-stores-heir-says-group--wont-be-sold-off-1558335.html

Interesting article but just because he told the indo they are not selling does not mean its not true. They will deny they are selling up to the end. Even if behind the scenes they are making a move.

ash_18x

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Yes..but then why have all clothes orders for 2009 been cancelled?

where did you hear this?
they just launched a new range yesterday!

my husband is a manager in Dunnes and they have been told nothing and they are all denying it too, saying its rubbish! all the top guys including Margaret Heffernan have been in his store the past few weeks because it was just reopened!

suppose you never know what is going to happen though, guess everyone will just have to wait and see!

Corruptedmorals

It was in the Sunday Business Post and a few other papers, and my managers said it's true. I'd imagine it wouldn't be made up..I'm sure the suppliers would know whether or not the orders have been cancelled. It might not have been sold/in the process of being sold, but I think something bigger is happening than 'redundancies'. Business really picked up in the last week anyway, which might stop hours being cut.