Avoca managing director Tara O'Neill has unexpectedly left the company after less than three years at the helm and just weeks after she had expressed confidence in the high-end retail chain's future and outlined its plans to weather the Covid-19 storm.

In a statement issued to The Irish Times, Avoca's owner Aramark, which bought the company for a reputed €64 million almost four years ago, confirmed her departure and said she had "decided to leave the business and pursue other interests".

The statement added that Shane Flynn, the managing director of Aramark in Ireland, would now lead Avoca and said for employees and customers, "it has been business as usual today with everyone focusing their efforts on safely reopening the stores at Avoca Malahide and Powerscourt. "

Last month Ms O'Neill, formerly a senior executive at the restaurant group owned by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, spoke of her vision for Avoca and outlined how it could survive the Covid-19 crisis by moving more of its business online and developing its social media presence.