Penneys to create 700 jobs over new investment and store

Big news for the brand.

Penneys will be creating 700 new jobs over the next three years due to a €250 million investment and a new store. The brand, which opened its first store in Dublin in 1969, is planning to expand significantly within the Irish market over the next few years, with a new store opening in Tallaght and trading spaces increasing by 20%. 300 of the new jobs will be placed in the new Tallaght store, while 100 will reside in Penneys' head office. Cork city's Patrick Street store will see a €60 million investment while Galway's Eyre Square shop will see a €20 million extension. A bigger store is also set to open in Carlow town next year and €75 million is set to be spent on a new distribution centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare. Penneys chief executive Paul Marchant told the Irish Times: "We hugely value our incredibly loyal Irish customers who have supported us over the years. Even as we grow internationally, Ireland will always be our first and home market. "Our investment plans demonstrate the confidence and commitment we have to Penneys in Ireland: we plan to remain at the centre of Irish retail for a long time to come." Penneys currently has 36 stores in Ireland and almost 400 around the world. Primark, as it is known elsewhere, recently expanded to the States, where it currently has 13 stores. Earlier this month, the brand introduced autism-friendly shopping hours across its Irish stores.  Every Sunday from November 14, people with autism and their friends and family can visit Penneys during the Sensory Friendly Shopping Hour, during the first hour of opening. These new autism-friendly measures will include noise reduction across the store, such as silencing tills and in-store announcements, and turning off in-store music. Damien O’Neill, Head of Sales at Penneys, said: “Penneys is for everyone, we want everyone to feel welcome in our stores and we understand that for some customers we need to adapt the way we work to provide a better experience. "This is just one of the ways we’re doing that and we’ve learnt a lot through AsIAm about how making some small changes can have a big impact.