Comet at Birstall dodges store axe
COMET in Birstall has survived the first round of store closures as administrators continue the search for a buyer.
The junction 27 store was not included on the list of 41 stores to be closed by administrators Deloitte – however a further 14 stores may be axed by the end of November.
Deloitte has yet to reveal the locations of the 14 potential additional closures, but said 14 branches may be chosen for closure in the coming days.
Shops due to cease trading, including branches at Halifax and in Leeds’ Crown Point retail park, have begun closing down sales.
The stores will close between now and the end of November unless a buyer is found for the business.
Efforts are being made to redeploy staff from closing Comet stores to other stores nearby, but redundancies are expected among the 869 full-time and part-time staff that work in those 41 stores.
Joint administrator Chris Farrington said: “Discussions continue to take place with parties who have expressed interest in parts of the business. However, it is unfortunately necessary to begin a store closure programme and to scale back the company’s support functions.
“While we will continue to do all we can to preserve jobs, we are working hard to put in place comprehensive support to help those employees who are made redundant during the administration.
“This support includes connecting people to prospective employers who are keen to offer roles to ex-Comet staff, and providing assistance and workshops to help with job hunting skills, such as CV and cover letter writing and interview skills, to enhance their chances of securing new employment.
“We are very grateful to the company’s employees for their professionalism, loyalty and support at this difficult time and employees will of course continue to be paid for all the work they do while the company is in Administration.”
On Monday Deloitte announced a further 735 redundancies in Comet’s head office, central departments and across its home delivery network.
A total of 603 staff have been made redundant from the delivery network, which operates from 12 hubs across the UK.
From the Leeds hub, 41 people have been made redundant.
Administrators have set up a dedicated helpline for employees and is working with more than 35 prospective employers keen to offer roles to redundant ex-Comet staff.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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