The newly restored Clerys clock is set to be unveiled today, eight years after the landmark store shut down.

The redeveloped department store is expected to reopen before the summer – with a number of major international outlets already confirmed.

Clerys shut down suddenly in the summer of 2015, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

That came after it was purchased for €29m by a consortium led by property developer Deirdre Foley.

It was later sold to a US real estate firm which is now reopening it as the 'Clerys Quarter' – complete with shops, offices, bars and restaurants.

Fashion retailer Flannels and Swedish fashion giant H&M will take up the retail space, while the Clerys Rooftop Restaurant will be run by the Press Up group.

Clerys Clock on O’Connell Street. Image: Douglas O'Connor / Alamy

The work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and this morning, the iconic clock - once a standard meeting point for the people of Dublin - will finally be unveiled.

The redevelopment of the building also involved the restoration of Clerys’ iconic features, including the collonaded façade, internal staircases, columns and ceilings.

The original restaurant and Tea Rooms have also been fully refurbished.

The completion of the restoration work will be marked by a new exhibition called Clerys: The Archives which will run from tomorrow until the end of the month.

The closure of Clerys in 2015 saw around 460 people losing their jobs.

That led to a long-running dispute with SIPTU which warned that the Clerys workers had only received statutory redundancy payments from the State.

The trade union finally reached a settlement with the new owners in early 2017.