River Island to close Carlow store at Fairgreen

RIVER Island is set to close its Carlow store at Fairgreen Shopping Centre, with signage now up at the unit indicating the outlet is shutting its doors.

The closure follows less than a year after fashion chain New Look shut its Carlow store and held a liquidation sale that drew large crowds.

It is understood that the closure relates to the Carlow outlet only and that the brand’s nearby store at MacDonagh Shopping Centre in Kilkenny is expected to remain open.

An official closure date had not yet been given and Fairgreen’s own website still lists River Island among its fashion offerings.

The Carlow closure comes against a backdrop of financial difficulties for River Island across the UK and Ireland.

In the UK, the family-owned retailer has pursued a major restructuring plan after warning it could run short of cash without action. The plan involved closing 33 stores and negotiating rent reductions on a further number of sites.

The Irish Examiner reported this month that River Island’s Irish arm recorded a €14.5 million operating loss for the year ending late December 2024, citing an impairment related to events around the UK parent’s trading difficulties and the implementation of the restructuring plan.

As of Monday, no local closing date has been publicly confirmed for the Fairgreen unit, and the company had not issued a Carlow-specific statement.