The harsh reality of the current economic climate was played out in public last Monday night in Castlebar as a number of car transporter trucks rolled into Casey’s Castlebar to load up cars to be taken away by creditors of the now-closed car dealership. Earlier that evening staff had been informed of the closure of the business following the decision by creditors to seek the High Court appointment of a provisional liquidator for the business, which had premises in Ballina and Castlebar as well as a car rental business at Ireland Airport West Knock.
The closure of the business, which employed up to 70 people in the county, is another body blow to employment in the county. The company had bases on the Breaffy Road in Castlebar at the old Volex factory, which they moved into following the closure of the electrical components production facilities, and on the Killala Road in Ballina, along with a rental service in Knock airport. They had been in operation since 1925, operating first in Castlebar from a town centre location before moving to a site on the old Turlough Road and then to their current location in the town on the Breaffy Road. They were major dealers for Ford, the brand with which the company had a long association, as well as Volvo and Renault.
Mayor of Castlebar Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne told the Mayo Advertiser that it was a very sad day for the town and the county. “It’s a body blow for the county and the town as whole. There were about 70 people working for them in the county and that’s 70 more people who are now looking for work. It is a very upsetting time for the people who have lost their jobs, and their families. There are people who have worked there for many years and have given great service to the company and to the customers. It means that there are now more people looking around wondering how they are going to pay their mortgage or other bills. It was very sad to see the trucks just roll in last Monday night and loading up cars and taking them away. But that’s the way it seems to have gone, the banks want their pound of flesh after we bailed them out this time last year. It really is going back to the time before we got our independence as a country and people were being thrown out of their homes by landlords.”
Mayor Kilcoyne also noted that along with the people who are now out of work it could have serious implications for customers of the dealership who have purchased vehicles from them. “Where do they stand now as regards guarantees and services that were offered as part of the deal when they bought a vehicle. They are going to have to go to the liquidators and plead their case, but they are very, very far down the line when it comes to getting what they are due, in fact they probably will get nothing.” As well as vehicle sales, Casey’s offered servicing, parts, bodyshop and DOE testing for commercial vehicles from their two dealerships in the county.
Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has said that it is time that the Government considered a car scrappage scheme similar to that being run in the UK to try to prop up the ailing motor trade in the country. Deputy O’Mahony said: “Recent figures show new car sales are down 63 per cent on this time last year. With 10,000 job losses in the car trade, including the closure of 11 major car dealerships in the west, the Government should move to stem further redundancies. We saw that first hand this week with the closure of Casey Auto World, a well-established dealership. The effects of this closure will be felt in the local economy.”
