Over 1,000 jobs lost as administrators close 22 TJ Hughes stores
Twenty two of the failed TJ Hughes discount department stores will close in the next fortnight with 1,061 staff being made redundant.
The administrators Ernst & Young said the closures were “regrettable” but said they remained in negotiations with a number of interested parties for a “large number” of TJ Hughes remaining stores. All stores not affected by the closures are expected to remain open and trading as normal.
Earlier this week the administrators announced they had sold TJ Hughes flagship store in Liverpool and the three stores in Eastbourne, Glasgow and Sheffield to Lewis’s Home Retail Limited, saving around 440 jobs.
Commenting on the news, John Gorle of the Usdaw union said: “I’m bitterly disappointed by today’s announcement and even though the business has been in a precarious situation for a most of the year, staff will be absolutely devastated to hear the news their store is going to close.”
He continued: “Usdaw will continue to do everything we can to support and represent our members through this very difficult time. We’ll be making sure they receive all monies and severance payments they are entitled to and we will also provide advice and support to help them find another job.”
Gorle said that if the remaining stores are sold, Usdaw hoped the new owners would consider employing former TJ Hughes staff.
Usdaw said there had been no consultation on the store closures and redundancies as required by law so it would be making a claim on behalf of its members for a protective award. “If successful this could lead to an additional compensation payment for them,” said Gorle.
The 22 stores that will close throughout August are Shrewsbury, Birkenhead, Dumfries, Dundee, Rochdale, Widnes, Wolverhampton, Stretford, Bolton, Boscombe, Burnley, Chester, Crawley, Hull, Kettering, Kidderminster, Macclesfield, Nuneaton, St. Helens, Walsall, Watford and Weston-Super-Mare.
