IKEA to open its largest shop outside Dublin
The global chain will open the doors to its seventh plan and order point in Ireland on July 17th, as part of its ongoing expansion plans.
Advertisement
Three more locations are earmarked to open by IKEA within the next year.
Situated at Tramore Road Business Park, Tramore Road, the new location will span 840sqm and is over eight times larger than all other existing locations of its plan and order points in Ireland, which normally range from 70 to 100 sqm.
15 jobs are to be created, while the store's order point will also feature a dedicated section with 100 different products available for immediate purchase.
Additionally, the store will provide a click-and-collect service, allowing customers to order any item online and pick up locally free of charge. It will also serve as an in-store returns location.
The new location will operate on a cashless basis, accepting card and digital payments only.
IKEA currently has six stores here and opened its first premises in December 2007 with a store in Belfast. The first store in the Republic of Ireland opened in Ballymun, Dublin, in July 2009.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Microsoft seeks 6,000 worker visas amid mass layoffs
Microsoft applied for as many as 6,000 specialized migrant worker visas leading up to a decision to terminate 9,000 jobs globally, according to new reports. The global tech giant revealed this week it would cut around 4 percent of its global workforce as it ramps up investments in artificial intelligence. The move has seen loyal, long term American employees lose their livelihoods and sparked unrest at a time when President Donald Trump is trying to ramp up local production and employment. But data compiled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service suggests that in the 2025 fiscal year, Microsoft has already applied for 4,712 H1-B visas. Anecdotal commentary on X among former staff and insiders actually places this number closer to 6,000 - but the exact figure has not been verified. But the visa is often tied to a specific role at a specific company, meaning an employee's right to live in the United States is tied to their employment and, theoretically, making it less likely that they will quit their jobs. Once their role is terminated, they often have to leave the United States. 'In some sense, there's nothing strange here,' Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Newsweek. 'You have a situation where the advocacy or use of guest worker programs is entirely always disconnected from the actual behavior of businesses. 'The actual data we have never supports the idea that we are terribly short of workers in the way that the business community says.' The tech giant will slash around 9,000 jobs across different teams, geographies and levels of experience, the company said on Wednesday. 'We continue to implement organizational changes necessary to best position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,' Microsoft said in a statement. It is the fourth round of layoffs at Microsoft this year following the cutting of 1 percent of its headcount in January, 6,000 further job cuts in May and 300 more in June. In April, Microsoft said it planned to use third-party firms to handle more sales of software to small and mid-size customers. The company had a global headcount of 228,000 at the end of June 2024. Microsoft has market capitalization of over $3 trillion - the biggest in the world - but it is looking to rein in costs as it funnels billions into its ambitious bet on artificial intelligence. But its use of expert foreign labor is among the highest in the United States, ranking seventh out of the top 10 US corporations. Amazon ranks first, with 9,200 applications in 2024. has reached out to Microsoft regarding its use of the H1-B visa program. There is no known or confirmed link between the H1-B visas Microsoft is applying for and the global cuts which have been made. But this has not stopped MAGA supporters from calling for the visas to be stopped while layoffs of local employees are taking place. 'This is economic treason. Approving a single H1B right now is a grave betrayal of your fellow citizens,' right-wing X account Pine Baron wrote. 'How is this not economic treason? Every H1B approved now is a slap in the face to hardworking Americans. Stand up for your fellow citizens,' another said. 'Trump should be stopping H1-B until this is under control. Microsoft should not be allowed a visa person for 10 years,' a third wrote. Amid Trump's efforts to deport illegal immigrants and bring work back to America, the H1-B visa has drawn the ire of MAGA loyalists who believe its existence takes jobs away from hardworking Americans. Supporters of the visa program, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, argued the program attracts high value workers to the United States and even suggested they were in favor of increasing work visa allowances. But the president's base is still vehemently opposed. Trump himself has not indicated he has any plans to change the H1-B visa scheme, even as he seeks to carry out the largest mass deportation agenda in US history. 'The problem here is, for the most part, the system works well for business, and if it works pretty well for business, well the incentive to change it in ways that would protect American workers is hard,' Camarota said. 'The reality is that the business community is convinced they need the workers and there is tremendous skepticism in the part of the public. The end result is political stalemate in terms of reforms.' Microsoft experienced one of its best ever quarters between January and March, with $26billion in profit. Stock is up nearly 20 percent year-to-date. The news comes days after Amazon's CEO announced brutal workforce cuts as the company also increases its use of AI. Amazon boss Andy Jassy said he plans to reduce the company's corporate workforce over the next few years as the tech will make certain roles redundant. Jassy told employees in a note seen by the Wall Street Journal that AI was a once-in-a-lifetime technological advancement and it has already transformed how Amazon operates. 'As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done,' he wrote in the memo. It is not yet clear how many workers will lose their jobs and when the cuts will come. 'It's hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce,' Jassy (pictured) explained. Those close to the matter told the outlet that a large chunk of the decrease in headcount would hopefully occur via attrition. This means as employees move on their roles will not be filled. However, this will not cover all of the reductions and layoffs are still expected to occur at some point. Amazon is the second largest employer in the country and is seen as a bellwether for employment stability. The company has already slowed hiring, suggesting AI is already influencing the company's staffing needs. It is also clear the company is betting big on the new technology, after it revealed plans to splash $100 billion on data centers that AI depends on.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘You can't pause the internet': social media creators hit by burnout
The life of a social media creator can be high in glamour and status. The well-paid endorsement deals, the online followers and proximity to the celebrity establishment are all perks of the industry. But one hidden cost will be familiar to anyone coping with the 21st-century economy: burnout. The Guardian has spoken to five creators with a combined audience of millions who have all experienced degrees of workplace stress or fatigue. 'There's no off button in this job,' says Melanie Murphy, 35, who has been a social media creator since 2013. 'The algorithms never stop. You can't pause the internet because you get sick. If you vanish for two or three months completely you know the algorithms will bring your followers to new accounts who are being active.' Dublin-based Murphy says her symptoms of burnout were 'complete fatigue' and a 'nerve sensation of tingling and brain fog.' A dose of Covid was then 'the straw that broke the camel's back', she adds. There is also a self-consciousness that comes with struggling in a nascent industry some people may not take seriously – or cannot conceive of as being hard work, given its association with glamour or the ephemeral nature of social media fame. 'It's really hard to talk about my job impacting how bad I felt without people being like 'shut up you're so privileged',' Murphy admits. She is not alone. Five out of ten creators say they have experienced burnout as a direct result of their career as a social media creator, according to a survey of 1,000 creators in the US and the UK by Billion Dollar Boy, a London-based advertising agency that works with creators. Nearly four out of 10 (37%) have considered quitting their career due to burnout as well, according to the research. The World Health Organization defines burnout as the consequence of 'chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed', with symptoms including exhaustion, reduced effectiveness at your job and a feeling of mental distance from your work. Others spoken to by the Guardian talk of creative block and their own lack of engagement with the material that, by necessity, they have to churn out on a regular basis. 'There's no HR department, there's no union,' says Murphy. 'If my husband got burned out, like I did, and literally couldn't stand up off the couch, he would have someone to call. The only people I could really call were creators.' Shortly after the birth of her second child in 2023, Murphy had what she called a 'complete burnout breakdown'. 'My body was, like, 'I'm done'.' Perhaps ironically, Murphy says, YouTube videos were a help in her recovery. She also sought out therapy and 'pulled back a bit' from work, having saved up enough money to cover a few months off. Now, after 'a lot of brain retraining stuff', she only posts two YouTube videos a month – having run at one or two a week before. She used to be 'very, very active' on Instagram but now posts only 'if I feel inspired to post'. Now, Murphy and her husband, an airline pilot, 'kind of match' each other in earnings which 'does mentally take a bit of weight off'. Murphy's company makes 'a bit over' €100,000 (£86,000) a year. She says she has cut down heavily on unpaid work and changes to her work-life balance have probably reduced her earnings by about €20,000. Murphy has 800,000 followers across YouTube and Instagram – her main sources of income are brand sponsorship – including from the Trainwell personal training app and online therapy company BetterHelp – and advertising revenue from YouTube, which shares a substantial cut of ad spend with creators. Creators – people who make a living from making online content, often via brand sponsorships – lead a professional life that reflects the digital culture they are embedded in. It is fast, demanding and vulnerable to sudden changes of taste. Becky Owen, the global chief marketing officer at Billion Dollar Boy, says the average full-time creator has to carry out a number of tasks to be successful, from planning, filming and editing content to managing relationships with brands; and, of course, engaging with followers. Owen says the 'wheels are coming off' for many creators. 'It's prevalent. It's not just a few,' she says, adding that there can also be an emotional toll because a lot of creators 'monetise themselves' and turn their lives into content. 'Beyond getting new commercial deals, the greatest challenge creators face is managing the business side of what they do. They're juggling countless responsibilities, trying to excel at all of them, often before they even have a chance to focus on the content itself. That's where they really need support,' says Owen. Allison Chen, 22, a New York-based creator who specialises in baking, cooking and lifestyle content and has a combined audience of 1.3 million across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, says the pursuit of views and engagement can be wearying. It can leave you feeling 'regardless of how many views you get, there is always a higher peak to achieve'. 'Social media creators also have the same comparison and self-esteem issues that regular social media users have,' she says. Chen says deleting social media apps has helped. Her routine involves downloading Instagram and TikTok whenever she needs to upload content – and then deleting them. 'I repeat it every day,' she says. London-based Hannah Witton, 33, suffered in a similar way. She restructured her professional life to avoid burning out completely, having been a full-time creator since 2015. Witton took three months of maternity leave after giving birth to her son in 2022. Three months, she says, is the longest amount of time she has seen any creator take off after having children. 'The shortest amount of time I've seen someone take off [for maternity leave] is three days. I wish I could have taken longer off but I just knew it wasn't possible.' When she returned, Witton found she was trying to produce the same amount of YouTube and podcast content – on sex and relationship advice – within half the time, with the added financial burden of paying for a producer to help make her content. 'Something had to suffer. And the thing that was suffering was me and the content – and my relationship with the content,' she adds. 'Audiences are smart, and I think they can pick up on those kinds of things. This week Google-owned YouTube called on the UK government to take creators more seriously as a profession, in recognition of the 'profound economic and cultural contributions they bring to the UK's creative industries'. Meanwhile, creators used to broadcasting advice to others are having to rally themselves through the hard times. 'It is possible to get through this and still earn good money while not spreading yourself too thin, which many creators do,' says Murphy.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- The Sun
Huge high street chain to shut UK store TODAY after announcing 20 shop closures after sale
A HUGE high street retailer is set to shut one of its locations for good today. The store will shut up shop as the company rebrands its sites across the country. 2 2 WHSmith has shut 20 stores this year already with its location on Midland Road, Bedford, set to follow suit today, July 5. It comes after the firm was bought out by Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital in March. The firm has not yet confirmed how many jobs will be affected by the closure. As part of the takeover deal all 464 WHSmith stores are rebranding to TGJones. WHSmith has been a staple of the British high street for some 200 years but came on hard times in recent years. The Modella Capital takeover has now been completed with the WHSmith website rebranded. There are over 1,100 WHSmith stores in the UK which will be either closed down or rebranded under the new ownership. Plans to open more than 100 new stores in airports, railways and hospitals are underway, these stores will not rebrand and remain as WHSmith. A WHSmith spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that the WHSmith store in Bedford will be closing in July. "It is no longer sustainable to continue to trade from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry. McDonald's Menu Shake-Up, WHSmith High Street Exit, and Smart Meter Heating Warning – Money News Today "We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Bedford and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us. "We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible.' Modella have now put in planning applications with a number of local councils to change the signs on WHSmith stores. WHSmith customers have also started to receive emails from TGJones, leading to some confusion. Several stores that are closing are understood to be holding closing down sales. The end of WHSmith on the high street The closures mark the beginning of the end of a 233-year stint on the high street for WHSmith. Earlier this year, it put its entire high street estate up for sale as it focuses instead on its more profitable travel arm. Its remaining 480 high street stores were snapped up by Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital last month as part of a £76million deal. The move saved the jobs of roughly 5,000 employees. However, the famous WHSmith name is set to be lost to the high street as the shops will be gradually rebranded to TGJones. WHSmith stores will remain in airports, train stations and hospitals, and the retailer is planning to expand here. The brand opened its first shop in 1792 in Little Grosvenor Street, London, later becoming the UK's main newspaper distributor. WHSmith stores that have closed A total of 20 WHSmith stores shut this year ahead of the rebrand. The retailer's Bedford site is set to close on July 5. The store in the Frenchgate Centre in Doncaster closed on May 31, while the Stockton branch also shut on May 17. Branches in Halstead and Woolwich shut on April 12, and Halesowen and Diss followed on April 19. Just a week later, stores in Newport and Haverhill also pulled down the shutters. Here's the full list of closures this year: The full list of store closures include: Bournemouth Old Christchurch Road, Dorset - January 18 Luton, Bedfordshire - January 18 March, Cambridgeshire - January 25 Basingstoke, Hampshire - February 1 Long Eaton - February 1 Newtown, Powys - February 15 Winton branch in Bournemouth, Dorset - February 15 Rhyl, Denbighshire - February 15 Bolton, Greater Manchester - February Accrington, Lancashire - March 15 Halstead, Essex - April Halesowen, West Midlands - April Diss, Norfolk - April Newport, Wales - April Haverhill, Suffolk - April 26 Woolwich - April Stockton, County Durham - May Oldham, Greater Manchester - May West Mall, Frenchgate Centre Doncaster - May 31 Orpington, Greater London
