Dunnes - Asda

Bonnylass

Well folks if you want a bit of info from the horses mouth (so to speak!!) i work in ONE of the letterkenny branches and we've just benn offered voluntary redundancies have been given no other information at all!!! But apparently Dundalk and limerick have been offered the same crappy package! Funny how thes towns all have more than 1 store...well why would asda want moer than one shop in each town....begs the question!!!!

obrien_jimmy

I still dont know if asda is buying dunnes over I mean all this could just be to do with the recession to be honest it could go either way. I mean I work in Dunnes too. I do be dreading going in and been told that were being made redundant or getting vouluntary redundancies, I know afew people hate working there but I'd rather to work there than a dole que any day of the week. I mean ive gone in extra hours left and right the past few weeks just to get some extra money to put aside incase.

But this is personally speaking, I just get a weird vibe of the managers lately even they seem to be in the same boat as the employees. I mean I just wish that whoever runs the management / emplyees relations in dunnes would give us some info I mean even the managers are going on what there told which isnt much by head office.

Everyone was saying the clothing lines eg savida were being discontinued and orders cancelled. how come weve received them in my dunnes.?
Cards are being played way to close to head office's cheast and if something does happen union or even non union affiliated employees will have bloody murder if they lose their jobs. It's like having a parent keep an illness secret because they are afraid of seeing the shock on your face when they do tell you. I for one just wish they could tell us something. its all just materialising without any sense to it. New stores opening in some areas and redundencies in others? Whats going on like?

Bonnylass

They'll never tell us anything unless they absolutely have to, thats the Dunnes way. But yes for those of us with homes to run, bills and loans to pay this not knowing is a killer. Personally i wouldnt care if asda took over and i ended up getting less pay, at least id be getting paid!! They havnt even told us how many voluntary redundancies they are looking for...because maybe that would end up giving us an indication of their plans :rolleyes: (closing one of the stores or whatever)

Has anyone else heard of any other stores than those iv mentioned getting voluntary redundancy offers??? And if so how many stores in these towns?!

Amalgam

Savida has always been haphazard, never go by one stock range alone, some weird distribution patterns there.. always has been the case.

I loathed Savida, nightmare to input into the system. (styles)

JohnC.

Bonnylass wrote: »

Has anyone else heard of any other stores than those iv mentioned getting voluntary redundancy offers??? And if so how many stores in these towns?!

In Waterford (with 1 store), there aren't redundancies, but a few full time staff are being moved from drapery and one from the cash office to grocery checkouts. No Saturday night-pack from tonight either. However, the second store is still set to open later in the year at the opposite side of the river, although technically it is in another county.

Bonnylass

Sounds like in waterford the grocery dept would be busier than drapery? The problem for us up here is we're quiet ALL the time there's an asda 20 mins up the road in strabane who have been getting all our old customers!

Which begs the question, would asda actually NEED another store so close to one which by all accounts is their busiest store in the whole UK?! So hard trying to figure out what the heck is going down at all at all!

Honest to God, so many questions and NO answers GRRRRRR!!!!!! :mad:

Corruptedmorals

Same happened in Stephens Green, loads of staff moved from drapery to grocery/cash office. Grocery nightpack were all let go, loads of them caught robbing too. It's already forced 4 people to hand in their notice, most because they live too far out to work 5-11 shifts. Grocery is doing well apparently! Drapery figures aren't great at all. I found out the €5 black skinny jeans are from..George at Asda. BUT the navy and grey dresses are from Next. Which makes no sense..must mean we're selling the stuff others couldn't sell..not the start of a takeover bid. Drapery's very quiet. Hours are up..I'd say they'll nosedive again soon. Stocktake Monday week and for the first time in years, ALL staff have to do it even those who can't Mondays because drapery is so short-staffed.

Bonnylass

Maybe they are buying all this cheep stock from other places because they cancelled so many drapery stock orders at the end of last year?? Well they hav to stock SOMETHING and if they were being taken over it'd make more sense than buying in a load of dunnes branded stuff that'd be useless to any new company...no?! Im quite sure most of the odd stock is probably cheap seconds bought from the factories. In saying that i know for a fact that many of the factories that produce dunnes clothing lines also produce clothes for marks & sparks etc., so maybe thats were they've happened on it.

Ste.phen

Dunno if it was mentioned here already but one of the Dunnes in the Ilac have closed off the upstairs floor, It's the one beside the carpark lifts

Sponge Bob

During the week the head of the 'Retailers Federation' gave evidence to the Dáil .

You can see the whole thing here if you expand by clicking on the + signs

In one part of that he said ...here

"The biggest retailer in the country with 120 leases has stopped paying rent this week. "

phasers

In Dunnes today and they had a lot of €5 clothes with no label, the oddest being a red cardigan with "Burton" poorly scribbled over with permanent marker!

Davy

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

I found out the €5 black skinny jeans are from..George at Asda. BUT the navy and grey dresses are from Next. Which makes no sense..must mean we're selling the stuff others couldn't sell..not the start of a takeover bid.

phasers wrote: »

In Dunnes today and they had a lot of €5 clothes with no label, the oddest being a red cardigan with "Burton" poorly scribbled over with permanent marker!

weird things all round

Bonnylass

Sponge Bob wrote: »

During the week the head of the 'Retailers Federation' gave evidence to the Dáil .

You can see the whole thing here if you expand by clicking on the + signs

In one part of that he said ...here

"The biggest retailer in the country with 120 leases has stopped paying rent this week. "

God i wonder what retailer they were talking about its all getting very grim. We've a meeting with our union on tue night i think, so maybe if they put the screws on them they MIGHT tell us some of what is going on....tho i wont hold my breath!! At the very least we deserve an explaination as to why we've been offered these voluntary redundancies :mad:

ejmaztec

It may be pure coincidence and have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Asda, but a company with the name of Walmart Wholesale Ltd was registered on 12th January according to the CRO.

http://www.cro.ie/search/

Type
Company
Number466162
Name
WALMART WHOLESALE LIMITED
Address
1 / 2 SOUTH FREDERICK STREET
DUBLIN 2


Registered
12/01/2009

andyeire

ejmaztec wrote: »

It may be pure coincidence and have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Asda, but a company with the name of Walmart Wholesale Ltd was registered on 12th January according to the CRO.

http://www.cro.ie/search/

Type
Company
Number466162
Name
WALMART WHOLESALE LIMITED
Address
1 / 2 SOUTH FREDERICK STREET
DUBLIN 2



Registered
12/01/2009

Asda.ie redirects to Walmart.com

JohnC.

That may not be what it seems. They always call themselves Wal-Mart, not Walmart. Though if it is them, it looks like things would be clearer soon.

Also Wal-Mart Stores rather than Walmart Wholesale.

andyeire

Although asda have been registered here for a while
Business Name
Number 52189
Name
ASDA SUPERSTORE
Address
HARCOURT HOUSE
HARCOURT STREET
DUBLIN 2

Registered
09/05/1973
Status
Normal


Company
Number 319952
Name
WAL-MART STORES LIMITED
Address
3 BROOKSIDE TERRACE
DUNDRUM ROAD
DUNDRUM
DUBLIN 14
Registered
03/02/2000
Status
Normal
Last AR Date
07/11/2008

Next AR Date
08/11/2009

JohnC.

First registered in 2000, eh? Wouldn't that be about the time they talked to Dunnes about a buyout before? I remember it was a little after they bought Asda, which happened mid-1999.

Cabaal

Cabaal wrote: »

Clearly you know little of Walmarts business practices and the affects its had on small town America in a very very negative way

I suggest you do some reading

Correct. The Family Guy episode featuring "Superstore USA" was a parody of Walmart. I wouldn't welcome them here for sure.

Corruptedmorals

Ste.phen wrote: »

Dunno if it was mentioned here already but one of the Dunnes in the Ilac have closed off the upstairs floor, It's the one beside the carpark lifts

Both of the Ilac Dunnes have done this. Both are extremely unlikely to survive the year. North earl Street drapery is gone, Grafton Street and Georges Street are going..leaving Henry Street and Stepehsn Green the only Dunnes in town.

Joey the lips

Lads, I worked for Dunnes and believe me when I say you find out before we do!

The management are not sh1t they simply learn from the top

I was not management. I am a grown adult capable of doing what I was told but I was watched at an unbelivebable level

Believe me when I say the stock is treated with more value than the people.

That aside I shop in dunnes cause I know its good value so no for the workers sake I hope asda does not take it over

Can you all remember the aparthid incident in the 80's. Do you think walmart/Asda cares!

father_ted9t9

Joey the lips wrote: »

Lads, I worked for Dunnes and believe me when I say you find out before we do!

The management are not sh1t they simply learn from the top

I was not management. I am a grown adult capable of doing what I was told but I was watched at an unbelivebable level

Believe me when I say the stock is treated with more value than the people.

That aside I shop in dunnes cause I know its good value so no for the workers sake I hope asda does not take it over

Can you all remember the aparthid incident in the 80's. Do you think walmart/Asda cares!

The dunnes stores in clondalkin started removing outdoor large neon signs today and they are to be replaced with asda signage

Davy

father_ted9t9 wrote: »

The dunnes stores in clondalkin started removing outdoor large neon signs today and they are to be replaced with asda signage

Are you 100%

sunnyside

father_ted9t9 wrote: »

The dunnes stores in clondalkin started removing outdoor large neon signs today and they are to be replaced with asda signage

Would a media announcement not be needed before they do that?

father_ted9t9

sunnyside wrote: »

Would a media announcement not be needed before they do that?

You would think so but neon signage on side is now gone and guys taking it down said it was changing soon

rco2000

TOTAL BULLCR*P. THEY WILL NEVER SELL.

the groutch

alot of people thought the same about Roches

rco2000

totally diff situation to Roches i.e. Dunnes are far more passionate about their business. Their families are far more involved in the day to day running of the business. They have a far more professional & effective business model that any other Irish retailer. Believe me I know people who worked with the family members in the business & they are soooooo passionate about the business.
An earlier contributer referred to the weighting that they give to product/stock & he is dead right. In dunnes the 1st priority is sales, then cash & then stock. People are way down the list of priorities, even the most senior of management. They will readily admit that you are only a number also there is a great saying in the company "you are only as good as your previous day's sales". No one in the comnpany is indespensible (unless you are a Dunne).
Also what alot of people don't realise is that Margaret H*effernan is a fantastic retailer - she has being cutting costs & the amount of money tied up in stock since circa Oct 2007. Alot of staff & mgt were complaining at the time but ask any of them now & they will now readily admit that these measures were made by someone at the top who had a vision/prediction of the slump in retail trade. She was ready for this slump before Brian Cowen & any other Irish retailer.
The fact that they are closing stores is just part of a cost reduction drive/plan that will put them in a stronger position & be ready for the recovery in retail whenever it happens i.e. they will re-open these stores if they feel there is a need to.
Finally the reason why people are finding stock with asda/walmart/next labels cut off is that this stock either comes from the same factories/suppliers (they all share the same suppliers in the far east) or it is stock that was sent back by these other retailers to the factories for a variety of reasons (e.g. poor quality/not up to standard agreed/wrong colour etc) & the factory has rang a buyer in Dunnes offering them this stock at a knock down price. And no better company to grap an oportunity when it arises.
Sorry for the long contribution!

wmpdd3

Yes but the fact is we are 6 weeks into the new season and they have atleast 80% less clothing stock than I would expect them to have. Clothing sales must be 60% down.

I agree the grocery side of operations looks on track, but even the hottest retailers strive to make 15% profit on grocery the real money is in home and clothing.
This is really out of sorts for this company.

rco2000

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Yes but the fact is we are 6 weeks into the new season and they have atleast 80% less clothing stock than I would expect them to have. Clothing sales must be 60% down.

chr*st where did you get those figures? are you a buyer with DS?
I can tell you that DS are running their textile stores on between 45-50% less stock than last year, doing circa 30% less sales and with huge reductions made to their variable costs (e.g. cutting back closing hours saves wages, electricity etc).
This makes very good business sense & should be applauded rather than being the subjected to a doom & gloom merchant frenzy.
It is well known that DS are the best at running their stores at optimum levels (except obviously Aldi & Lidl who operate a much diff business model).