Eason opened its second new store of 2012 yesterday in Limerick, with the promise of a further two store openings this year.

The opening of a franchise store in Limerick’s Parkway Shopping Centre follows the opening of an outlet in Listowel, Co Kerry, earlier this year. The company plans to open shops in Fermoy and Letterkenny by the end of the year. Some 50 jobs will be created in total.

Eason, which experienced a 10 per cent drop in revenue in 2010, embarked on a €20 million investment programme last year, which involved significant restructuring, including redundancies and the closure of unprofitable stores. Of its 60 stores across Ireland, 23 are franchises, with plans to increase the number of franchise stores to more than 30 by 2014.

The company also has a strong presence in the North, with 12 stores there, including a recently revamped flagship store in Belfast.

The Limerick store is being run by Eamon Fahey, who already runs Eason franchises in Ballina and Castlebar.