Barnsley MP says Safestyle job losses are ‘devastating’

Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley East, was outside the window and door firm’s factory in Wombwell when the job losses at were announced.

The company went into administration on Monday, October 30, resulting in the loss of almost 700 jobs.

A public notice from administrators Interpath Advisory stated Safestyle UK had suspended share trading after failing to find a buyer.

The Bradford-based business has a manufacturing site in Wombwell and 42 branches and depots across the country.

Administrators say the company faced challenges including high-cost inflation, ongoing economic uncertainty and fragile consumer confidence.

These pressures have been exacerbated by an unseasonally warm September, which has ‘dampened customer demand.’

A spokesperson for Interpath Advisory added that a ‘solvent solution was unable to be found, and the directors took the difficult decision to seek the appointment of administrators’.

Stephanie Peacock said that the job losses are ‘devastating’.

“The announcement of hundreds of job losses at SafeStyle in Barnsley is devastating news for all affected and the wider community,” she said.

“My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this, and please do get in contact with my office if you need support. I will do everything that I can to help.”

Councillor Kevin Osborne, who represents the Darfield ward, added: ” This is devastating for our community, as many Darfield residents worked there.

“This is terrible news at any time but just a few weeks from Christmas makes it a bitter pill to swallow.”

Rick Harrison, managing director at Interpath Advisory, said: “These are really challenging times for companies across the home improvement market. After seeing strong sales during the Covid lockdown periods, many companies are seeing trading being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and soaring costs.

“Unfortunately for Safestyle, and despite the tireless efforts of the management team over recent months, these challenges have proven too difficult to overcome.

“This will be particularly devastating for the Company’s employees, as well as the many self-employed contractors who worked on behalf of the Company.

“Our immediate priority will be to provide support to those impacted by redundancy, including supporting them in making claims to the Redundancy Payments Service where relevant.”