As the Milton Keynes Carpetright branch is among those to close, residents have been advised to contact their bank as orders made at stores set to shut are “unable to be fulfilled”.
After struggling in the face of decreased demand and a significant cyberattack in April, Carpetright, which Nestware Holdings own, filed a notice to appoint administrators last month (July 2024).
Tapi, the flooring company, has agreed to buy 54 Carpetright stores, the brand, two warehouses, and its intellectual property in a pre-pack administration deal.
The company employed over 1,800 people across 273 stores in the UK. Under the new ownership, over 1,000 jobs will be lost and over 200 stores will be closed, the Milton Keynes branch being one of them.
Zel Hussain, joint administrator at PwC, 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.”
Orders placed at locations that are currently scheduled for closure "are unable to be fulfilled," the administrators stated, advising customers to get in touch with their credit issuer to see if they might get a refund.
Unfortunately, customers usually find themselves at the back of a long list of creditors when a company closes, making it almost impossible to secure a refund.
Lisa Webb, consumer law expert at Which?, told the BBC, "Unfortunately for those who paid by cash, cheque or debit card, Carpetright is not offering much in the way of reassurance that they'll see any refunds at all."
Customers who use credit cards to pay for their purchases, however, still have hope as the credit card company is legally responsible for any breach of contract by the shop and is also expected to pay for any orders that are not fulfilled that cost more than £100.
