Argos closing all their Irish stores doesn't come as a surprise, according to Retail Excellence Ireland.
They are to close 34 of their shops, resulting in almost 600 job losses.
The company's most recent accounts show the company said sales had fallen by 21.5 per cent.
Brexit is also said to be a contributing factor.
The Managing Director of Retail Excellence Ireland, Duncan Graham, says they didn't invest in their Irish business.
The President of Longford Chamber of Commerce says the news of the closures obviously means job losses for local people.
Fiona Fenelon says its hard news to get at the beginning of a new year and the closure of the local store also has an impact on other outlets…
'To get that news, a couple of weeks into January , that you've lost your job, or you're going to lose your job,that's very tough.
It has a big knock on effect becasue obviously jobs are very precious , so to get news like this through , it's not great.
Also, Argos in Longford is in the Axis Centre, so it is a busy store and it has a knock-on effect there on the adjacent businesses.'
The Chamber President says the only potential positive of this news would be that people go to local independent retailers for the goods they bought previously in Argos.
'You'd hope that people that would have been buying in Argos, would look at the other fantastic retail outlets we have around Longford, and perhaps support them , so y'know there may be a benefit there for some of our other independent retailers.'
