The City Hotel Group has agreed to buy the Austins department store building in the Diamond in Derry’s city centre.
Earlier this week, 55 jobs were saved after Austins & Co was bought out of receivership by an unnamed company.
Now, Brendan Duddy Jnr, chairman of the City Hotel Group, has reveaed they have agreed to buy the building.
Stressing there were no short or long-term plans to turn the building into a hotel, Mr Duddy said he group had agreed to purchase the Austins building, name and brand and that a “new business setup” would be controlled by previous owners, the Hasson family.
Austins, one of the oldest independent stores in the world, had been placed into administrative receivership on Wednesday of last week.
The business began in 1830 when Thomas Austin came to Derry opened as a drapery shop.
The Hasson family, from Derry, had owned the landmark store for over 35 years.
Tags: