Carpetright is the latest store to shut down in Bracknell having closed its doors for the last time.
Its biggest rival Tapi bought the chain’s brand and more than a fifth of its stores out of administration.
They acquired Carpetright’s intellectual property, two warehouses and 54 of its stores, which Tapi said will save 308 jobs. But the deal will result in 1,018 job losses across Carpetright’s head office in Purfleet and its remaining 218 stores across the UK including the one in nearby Reading.
Administrators said it will retain workers at its head office for the short term as it winds down operations but 1,018 workers will face immediate redundancy across its stores which were not part of the rescue deal.
Speaking about the news, Bracknell MP Peter Swallow said: “Very sad news that Bracknell Carpetright has closed its doors. My thoughts go out to local workers who have lost their jobs. We desperately need to breathe life back into our highstreets and shopping centres, and that starts with reforming business rates.”
Tapi said: “We are desperately sad not to have been able to save more of the business and customer orders. However, as we looked into the details of the situation, we quickly established that saving the entire business was unviable. Carpetright has been materially loss-making for a number of years, and it has significant debt held by the owner. We believe that we were the only offer that the administrator received that saved a large number of roles.”
