Fifteen businesses closed with loss of 208 jobs
Ten filling stations, two oil distribution facilities and three other businesses under the umbrella of Mccormack Garages Sligo Ltd have closed with immediate effect with the loss of 208 full and part-time jobs.
The 15 businesses concerned are located in counties Cavan, Leitrim, Meath and Sligo and include three filling stations in Virginia, Belturbet and Killeshandra and also the Breffni Oil distribution centre, also located in Killeshandra.
Filling stations in Drumshanbo, Manorhamilton, Leitrim village, Athboy and Castlebaldwin have also closed from today.
The closures come as Bank of Ireland has appointed receivers to the business.
A spokesperson for the receivers issued this statement this afternoon:
“Grant Thornton can confirm that Aengus Burns and Michael McAteer have been appointed as receivers to Excol Oil Limited which operates ten filling stations across the North West, two oil distribution facilities (McCormack Fuels Limited, Sligo and Breffini Oil Distribution, Cavan) and, McCormacks car sales and garage businesses in Sligo. Our first priority is to brief employees at all 15 locations and process their entitlements for redundancy. The receivers are making every effort to sell the various businesses.”
In respect of the Excol filling station in Virginia, the closure means that there is now no such business operating in the core of the east Cavan Town, though there are others further out the N3 at Maghera and Whitegate.
The Celt understands that the Receiver for the bank arrived at the Virginia premises at 11am this morning and immediately closed the shop while informing the staff that their jobs no longer existed.
Staff were handed envelopes that were already addressed to them, explaining that Bank of Ireland had appointed the Receivers along with information stating their entitlements for social welfare payments.
One clearly shocked staff member, who didn’t want to be identified, spoke of her horror and dismay at the unexpected closure of the shop and filling station. She said that she was depending on the income from the job to pay her rent as she was a single mother with limited chance of employment in the same type of position around the area.