Fears for jobs in Sheffield as HSS Hire announces plans to close 134 branches

The firm, which has two Sheffield branches in Darnall and Hillsborough, along with outlets in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham, said the proposed closures were a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Announcing its half-yearly results today, Thursday, October 8, the company said the crisis had accelerated the move to online sales and ‘demonstrated that there is a lower cost, more agile business mode for rental’.

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HSS Hire said it was entering into consultation with around 300 employees regarding plans to close 134 of its branches. The firm is not revealing at this stage whether those in Sheffield or elsewhere in South Yorkshire are affected.

The firm recorded a £2.4 million operating loss for the first half of 2020, compared with a £4.8m profit for the same period last year, but the company said revenue had now returned to above 90 per cent of 2019 levels, with profitability back to where it was before the pandemic.

Its CEO Steve Ashmore said: “While our strategic ambitions remain unchanged, Covid-19 has demonstrated that we are now ready to accelerate our strategy by further investing in our technological platforms.

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"These investments will allow us to reduce our physical footprint which, whilst regrettably resulting in the loss of around 300 roles, allows us to become a more agile, technology-driven business which is essential in our markets as well as reducing costs and enhancing shareholder value.

"This will build on our already differentiated commercial proposition and create the most advanced, customer-centric offer in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”