19 November 2012 Last updated at 10:59 ET
The insolvent electrical chain Comet is cutting hundreds more jobs, its administrators have said.
Deloitte said there would be a further 735 redundancies at its head office, central functions and across its home delivery network.
This is in addition to 330 redundancies already announced. The business had employed 6,611 people.
Closing down sales have already begun in 27 stores, with a further 14 of its 236 stores earmarked for closure.
The home delivery network, which operates from 12 hubs across the UK, has shed 603 employees.
It will continue to function, albeit with a smaller workforce.
On top of that, the administrators have had to make a further 132 employees redundant from Comet’s head office and support functions around the country.
The employees affected have been informed by the company.
There have been no redundancies yet at any of the stores but the administrators warned “there will inevitably be redundancies” among the 869 full-time and part-time employees who work in the 41 stores due to close.
The administrators said they would be applying more generous discounts across all Comet stores from Tuesday.
Support
- Aylesbury, Barnstaple, Barrow-in-Furness, Beckton, Birmingham/Perry Barr, Brighton, Bury St Edmunds, Christchurch, Crawley, Falkirk, Glasgow – Great Western, Gloucester (St Oswalds), Guildford, Halifax, Harlow, Leeds – Crown Point, Luton, Margate, New Malden, Orpington, Rugby, Selly Oak, Sheffield – Drake House, Southend, Wrexham, Yeading, Yeovil
- A further 14 stores are likely to close by the end of November – the locations have yet to be disclosed
A dedicated helpline is in place for all employees and the company is running an employee assistance programme to help those staff made redundant find other jobs.
Chris Farrington, joint administrator at Deloitte, said practical help was being given.
“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.”
A statement said the company had established relationships with more than 35 prospective employers who are said to be keen to offer roles to former Comet workers, one of these being Comet’s rival electrical chain, Dixons.
Comet had been hit hard by the drop in consumer spending in the UK since 2008, which has been particularly acute in the case of the big ticket items that the group sells.
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