Workers at many PowerHouse stores across the Black Country and Staffordshire are to keep their jobs under new owners, it has emerged today.
The future for staff at PowerHouse’s retail outlets, which include the Sony Centre partner stores, was thrown into doubt after the company went into receivership last month.
Prior to this, the firm’s board had decided to close 93 of its 203 stores with 813 redundancies.
Stafford’s Queensville Retail Park store was one of those which remained open and its 11 staff are now celebrating after discovering they will be kept on by owners New Powerhouse.
The announcement is also good news for many customers still waiting for goods to be delivered since the old company went into receivership on August 20.
New owners, drawn from New-Zealand-based Pacific Retail Group (PRG), have taken over the viable part of the electrical retail chain saving. And, following an investment of some £2m, all customers will now get the goods they paid for.
Stafford store manager Diane Moore said: “Our new owners have been marvellous. We’re so pleased they have stepped in to resolve the deliveries and many of the warranties of the old company’s customers, even though they were under no obligation to do so.”
The Sony Centre in Gaolgate Street, Stafford, is not one of the stores to re-open.
New PowerHouse, which has outlets in Wolverhampton and Merry Hill, is also working to find solutions with companies responsible for the Scottish Power Powerplan extended warranties.
From Express and Star