Comet have officially confirmed this evening that they are to enter into a consultation period with a view to closing down their in-house service operations with the loss of around 450 jobs.
News started to reach us this morning from various sources that this had been notified to staff this morning but it wasn’t until this evenign that we received official confirmation from Comet’s press office on the matter.
The official statement from Comet reads as follows:
Comet announces proposals to reduce its investment in electrical field repairs
As part of a wider strategic review of its business, Comet has today announced proposals to align with other electrical retailers by reducing its investment in electrical field repairs to focus resources more single-mindedly on store operations.
Comet currently delivers an in-house, UK-wide repair service on behalf of a range of manufacturers. A departure from this strategy would result in a number of job losses for engineers across the UK as well as some support roles in its Clevedon site near Bristol.
If these proposals go ahead, in total around 450 roles may be made redundant and a consultation has now begun with affected staff.
Bob Darke, Comet Chief Executive said: “The proposal to reduce our staff numbers has been a very tough decision to make but significant savings are required to secure the long-term viability of our business. This in no way reflects the commitment and efforts of our employees. Our first priorities are to reach a speedy decision and support those who may be affected by our proposal and we will make every effort to help them find alternative employment.”
yh it was a shame that the rest of the world knew before the 450 or so people who will be affected as it was leacked to the press at least 2 days before