Buoyant Dixons to keep 500 Comet staff Dixons took on around 1,000 people who lost their jobs following Comet's collapse in November as part of its Christmas recruitment drive, 500 of whom have bagged permanent positions as the group looks forward to gaining market share from its failed rival. Mr James told Radio Four the effects of his rival's closure on the group's third quarter were "complex" as administrators for the failed retailer held a clearance sale for the vast bulk of the period. The group said sales of tablet computers were "phenomenal" with more than a million sold in the UK and Ireland over the period, with five a second sold in the week before Christmas. Apple iPads made up a third of tablet sales, but it also had strong demand for the Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus models. Dixons' healthy sales in its home and northern Europe markets buffered it from a poor trade in the southern Europe division, including outlets in Italy and Greece, pushing overall like-for-like sales up 3pc in the 12 weeks to January 5. Like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland rose 8 percent and were up 11 percent in northern Europe. But in the southern Europe division, which includes Italy and Greece, like-for-like sales fell 8 percent.