RETAILER ARGOS WANTS to hire 500 seasonal workers in the lead-up to Christmas as it boosts its local workforce by a third to cope with the seasonal spending spree.

The UK, catalogue-based company, which has also been in business in Ireland since 1996 and employs about 1500 people in the country, is looking for “extra customer advisers” during the peak shopping season and plans to hire a raft of temporary staff.

Argos Ireland operations manager Andy McClelland said the company was looking for people who were “customer focused, passionate and enthusiastic” for its teams.

The company said it would provide in-house training, competitive pay rates and 10% staff discounts as part of the sweeteners.

Argos operates 40 stores across the republic and launched its local website in 2005.

Its Dublin operations will get the bulk of the positions with 150 temporary workers to be hired in the city, followed by Cork with 60, Limerick with 50 and Meath with 25.

Last year the retailer hired the same number of seasonal workers for the Christmas rush.

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