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Dixons Carphone is offering a lifeline to Maplin employees after the tech retailer entered administration earlier this week.
Around 2,500 UK jobs are at risk following the announcement that Maplin had called in administrators PwC. However, fellow the CEO of fellow retailer Dixons Carphone is reportedly offering Maplin staff the possibility of a new job.
"We are really sorry to hear that Maplin has fallen into administration. Maplin has long been famous for its expert and friendly team, and this is a very difficult time for all Maplin colleagues,” Dixons Carphone chief executive Seb James said.
"We are always on the lookout for experienced staff who love serving customers and bring expertise in technology, and I hope that we can offer some Maplin employees exciting new opportunities within the Dixons Carphone family.”
Chief executive of Maplin Graham Harris announced the news, saying that the administrators ‘will’ keep the stores open for the time being.“I can confirm this morning that it has not been possible to secure a solvent sale of the business and as a result we now have no alternative but to enter into an administration process,” Harris said. “We believe passionately that Maplin has a place on the high street, and that our trust, credibility and expertise meets a customer need that is not supported elsewhere.”
The retailer’s private equity owner Rutland Fund Management was in talks with Edinburgh Woollen Mill about a sale, but talks have now collapsed. PwC will keep the company’s 200 stores open and continue to run the retailer’s website while attempting to find other buyers. It has also been mooted that the brand will be sold separately from the business.
PwC said that its initial focus was to find a buyer for either all or part of the company, which is based in London and Rotherham. For the time being, stores will remain open and operating as usual.
The administrator also said that staff had been paid their February wages and would continue to be paid for future work while the company is in administration.
