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In the latest chapter of the on-going Comet administration process, the firm has confirmed that 735 additional employees have been made redundant.
Administrator for Comet, Deloitte, broke the news this afternoon, announcing the job losses, which were based in the firm’s head office, central functions and home delivery network.
There has yet to be any further job losses amongst those staff based within the electrical retailers stores.
However, the administrator has confirmed that whilst it will look to redeploy staff from the 41 stores facing closure, redundancies among the 869 full and part time staff based within these stores will be inevitable.
603 employees have been made redundant from Comet’s home delivery network, which operated from 12 hubs located across the UK. Whilst the network will still continue to operate, all locations will continue with a significantly reduced workforce to maintain the firms deliveries and repairs operations.
In addition to this, cuts at Comet’s head office and support functions has led to 132 redundancies across the firm’s locations, including 17 at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and 56 from its call centre based in Clevedon.
Announcements were made to those staff affected during a number of meetings thoughout today.
As previously reported by PC Retail, a dedicated helpline has been established for all of Comet’s employees, as well as an Employee Assistance Programme.
Comet has also reportedly established relationships with over 35 prospective employers keen to offer roles to ex-Comet employees.
Chris Farrington, Joint Administrator, commented: “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," Farrington continued.
PC Retail is keen to talk to any Comet employees affected by the administration process. If you wish to comment on the on-going process, please email greg.lockley@intentmedia.co.uk
