Oswestry Carpetright among 200 stores closing down

Carpetright’s Oswestry shop, located in Penda Retail Park, will be among the 200 stores owned by the floor retailer to close after the company was bought in a rescue deal by rival Tapi that will see most of the company’s outlets shut.

It was announced on Monday, July 22, that rival floor retailer Tapi had agreed to buy 54 Carpetright stores, two warehouses, the brand, and its intellectual property in a pre-pack administration deal.

However, while the deal will save 308 current jobs at Carpetright, more than 1,000 jobs across 200 shops will be lost as the deal will not save most of the business, including its head office in Purfleet, Essex.

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The company, which was founded in 1988, filed a notice to appoint administrators earlier this month, after struggling in the face of weaker demand and a major cyber attack in April.

Having once employed 1,852 people and operated 273 stores across the UK, now 1,018 workers will face immediate redundancy across its stores which were not part of the rescue deal.

Full list of every Carpetright store set to close

Zelf Hussain, Joint Administrator, said: “Carpetright has fallen victim to challenges facing many retailers, especially those selling big ticket items. A mixture of factors, including a big reduction in consumer spending due to cost of living pressures, lower home sales and a debilitating cyber attack made it impossible for the business to continue in its current form.

“The sale of some stores and the brand to Tapi has allowed over 300 jobs to be saved, and gives the Carpetright brand the chance to continue and flourish under its new ownership.

“However, it is deeply saddening that for the remainder of the workforce there will be redundancies. We are committed to helping those affected and will make sure redundancy claims are processed as quickly as possible. In collaboration with Tapi, we will assist in efforts to help individuals find new jobs elsewhere.

“We know this is an uncertain time for many of those affected and want to thank all the staff for the support they have given the company in these difficult circumstances.”