The Happy Pear has reportedly lost 39% of its workforce due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
The plant-based brand's outlets at Dublin Airport and Clondalkin closed during the first lockdown in 2020 and will not re-open, while a third site at the Shoreline Leisure Centre in Greystones remains closed for now, reports RTÉ.
However, the company's flagship outlet at Church Road, Greystones is currently operating with COVID restrictions in place.
Speaking with RTÉ, Paul Murphy, finance director with The Happy Pear, said, "As a result of the significant impact of COVID-19 we were forced to restructure our business and now have 72 active employees."
"However, we hope this number will grow in 2021 upon the reopening of our Shoreline site and the return of normal trade in our Church Road site in Greystones," he said.
Online Courses
"The online courses have grown significantly in recent years and now represent a core part of our business," Murphy said.
He said that in 2019 revenues from ancillary activities - mainly online courses - totalled €843,000 "and this has grown by more than 100% in 2020".
Set-up in 2004 by twins David and Stephen Flynn, the business now consists of over 40 products, a suite of online courses, two wholefood retail cafes and shops, a range of cookbooks, a farm and a roastery.
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