Vol. 395 No. 8
48 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will give details of his discussions with the Hollister company in the United States in relation to the recent job losses at its Ballina plant, County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
At my meeting with senior officials of Hollister Incorporated in Illinois in early February the company emphasised very strongly its continued commitment to its Irish facility at Ballina, to its workforce and to the local community. The company stated that the recent redundancies at Ballina had been the result of a build up of inventory stocks in Europe. Hollister indicated that they are now assuming direct marketing and distribution control over their sales in Europe and intend to make a substantial investment in computer facilities at Ballina to make it the core centre for the company's distribution activities in Europe. The company not only indicated that with all these positive developments taking place over the next 18 months, the stability of the Irish operation will be maintained, but they are also optimistic that their drive to expand sales in Europe as the opportunities become available to them will in time lead to renewed growth in their Ballina operation.
