Three Carpetright stores in Sheffield to close, despite Tapi rescue deal, as 1,000 jobs are cut

The stores at Drakehouse and Meadowhall shopping centres, and at Atkinsons department store on The Moor, in Sheffield city centre, are among 213 across the UK which the administrator PwC has confirmed are closing.

Carpetright was bought by the firm’s rival Tapi, which has agreed to purchase 54 existing stores, two warehouses, the brand and its intellectual property in a pre-pack administration deal.

But the majority of stores will shut, along with the head office in Essex, with more than 1,000 employees being made redundant immediately. Carpetright was founded in 1988 and before going into administration operated across the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 1,898 employees and 273 stores.

PwC said the company had been hit by ‘challenging trading conditions’, including a drop in spending on home improvement following the Covid pandemic, and had also fallen victim to a damaging cyber attack in April 2024.

What support is available for staff being made redundant?

It described the rescue deal, which includes the transfer of 308 employees, as the ‘best option available to generate returns for creditors as a whole, under severely limited timescales’.

Employees at the head office will be retained for a short time, PwC added, to support winding down operations.

But staff at those stores which are closing, and those providing in-home services, ‘have had to be made redundant immediately on appointment’.

PwC said it was working closely with the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) to ensure those affected receive their statutory entitlements as soon as possible.

What should customers do if they have placed orders?

It added that Tapi was collaborating with other retailers to ensure job applications from affected Carpetright employees receive priority and providing free employment workshops.

Orders placed with stores which are closing are not able to be fulfilled, said PwC, with those customers affected advised to contact their payment card provider about the possibility of obtaining a refund.

For outstanding orders made through stores which are included in the sale, and for other consumer advice, customers are advised to visit: https://www.carpet-right.co.uk/help/carpetright-update.

Zelf Hussain, joint administrator, said: “The sale of some stores and the brand to Tapi has allowed over 300 jobs to be saved, and gives the Carpetright brand the chance to continue and flourish under its new ownership.

“However, it is deeply saddening that for the remainder of the workforce there will be redundancies. We are committed to helping those affected and will make sure redundancy claims are processed as quickly as possible. In collaboration with Tapi, we will assist in efforts to help individuals find new jobs elsewhere. 

“We know this is an uncertain time for many of those affected and want to thank all the staff for the support they have given the company in these difficult circumstances.”

Jeevan Karir, Managing Director of Tapi, said: “Our goal, initially, was to try to save all of Carpetright. However, as we looked into the details of the situation, we quickly established that saving the entire business was unviable.

“The business has been materially loss making for a number of years and it has significant debt held by the owner.

“We then turned ourselves to trying to save a number of stores whilst being mindful of how the Competition authorities would look at any deal. So, we arrived at 54 stores and 2 supporting warehouses. All of which are exceptional and that we’d be proud to have as part of the Tapi family.”

Full list of Carpetright stores which are closing

– Aberdeen

– Aberdeen – Bridge Of Don

– Aberystwyth

– Abingdon

– Altrincham

– Andover

– Ashford

– Ashington

– Ashton-under-Lyne

– Aylesbury

– Ayr

– Banbury

– Barnstaple

– Barrow-in-Furness

– Bath

– Bedford

– Belfast – Boucher Road

– Belfast – Newtownabbey

– Berwick

– Blackburn

– Blackpool

– Blyth

– Bolton

– Bolton (FV)

– Bracknell

– Braintree

– Brentford

– Bridgend

– Brighton

– Bristol – Cribbs

– Bristol Eagleswood Hub

– Bromley

– Burton upon Trent

– Bury St Edmunds

– Caerphilly

– Cambridge

– Cannock – Orbital

– Canterbury

– Cardiff – Culverhouse Cross

– Cardiff – Newport Road

– Carlisle

– Chadwell Heath

– Chelmsford

– Chelmsford (FV)

– Cheltenham

– Chester

– Christchurch

– Colchester

– Colindale

– Coventry – Alvis

– Crawley

– Crawley (FV)

– Crewe

– Croydon (FV)

– Cwmbran

– Dartford

– Derby

– Devizes

– Dorchester

– Dundee

– Dunfermline

– Dunstable

– Durham

– East Dereham

– East Grinstead

– East Kilbride

– Eastbourne

– Edinburgh – Newcraighall

– Edinburgh – Straiton

– Edmonton

– Elgin

– Enfield (FV)

– Evesham

– Exeter

– Falkirk

– Fareham

– Farnham

– Feltham

– Frome

– Gateshead

– Gerrards Cross

– Gillingham

– Glasgow GWR

– Glastonbury

– Glenrothes

– Gravesend

– Guernsey

– Guildford (FV)

– Guiseley

– Hanley

– Harlow

– Hartlepool

– Harwich

– Hastings

– Havant

– Haverfordwest

– Hazel Grove

– High Wycombe – Bellfield Rd

– Horsham

– Hull – Clough Road

– Hull – St Andrews Quay

– Huntingdon

– Inverness

– Ipswich – Euro

– Irvine

– Isle of Wight

– Jersey

– Keighley

– Kendal

– Kettering

– Kingston (FV)

– Kirkcaldy

– Leeds Birstall (FV)

– Leicester

– Letchworth

– Lincoln

– Liverpool – Aintree

– Livingston

– Llandudno

– Llanidloes – Hafren Furnishers

– London – Beckton

– London – Charlton

– London – Ealing Common

– London – Hammersmith

– London – Old Kent Road

– London – Staples Corner

– London – Streatham

– London – Walworth

– Lowestoft

– Manchester – Trafford Park

– Manchester (FV)

– Market Harborough

– Merthyr Tydfil

– Milton Keynes

– Newhaven

– Newport

– Newton Abbot

– Northallerton (within Barkers)

– Northampton

– Northampton (FV)

– Norwich – Sweet Briar

– Nottingham – Arnold

– Nottingham – Castle Meadow

– Nuneaton

– Oldbury

– Orpington

– Oswestry

– Oxford

– Oxford 2

– Paisley

– Perth

– Poole – Wessex Gate

– Portsmouth

– Preston

– Rayleigh

– Reading – Reading Gate

– Redditch

– Reigate

– Rochdale

– Romford – Gallows Corner

– Romford – Rom Valley

– Rugby

– Salisbury

– Sevenoaks

– Sheffield – Atkinsons Dept

– Sheffield – Drakehouse

– Sheffield – Meadowhall

– Shrewsbury

– Sittingbourne

– Slough

– Solihull

– South Ruislip

– Southampton – Nursling

– Southend

– Staines

– Stamford

– Stevenage

– Stirling

– Stockton Storeys

– Sudbury

– Sutton

– Swansea – Llansamlet

– Tamworth

– Taunton

– Telford (FV)

– Thetford

– Tonbridge

– Torquay

– Tunbridge Wells

– Uddingston

– Wakefield

– Wallasey

– Walton-on-Thames

– Warrington – Alban

– Warrington – Pinners Brow

– Washington Hub

– Waterlooville

– Watford

– Wednesbury (FV)

– Wellingborough

– Welwyn Garden City

– West Drayton

– West Thurrock

– Whitehaven

– Winchester

– Wisbech

– Wokingham

– Wolverhampton

– Worcester

– Worksop

– Wrexham

– York – Clifton Moor

– York (FV)

* Stores with ‘FV’ initials are based inside Furniture Village stores.

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