Flooring Giant Tapi to Take Over Carpetright—Not All Jobs Survive the Move
What’s going on?
Flooring retailer Tapi is stepping in to rescue struggling Carpetright—so you’ll hear the news on the steps of the latest boardroom huddle. The deal is a lifeline that will keep a handful of jobs on the payroll, but at a steep cost: over 200 stores might shut their doors, and more than 1,000 jobs could vanish.
Job Numbers: Good, Bad and “Oops!”
- Carpetright previously employed 1,852 people across 272 stores before hitting financial turbulence.
- Now they’re looking to let 300 jobs survive the rescue.
- But the Purfleet, Essex HQ and most outlets will go out of business, pushing 1,000+ departures.
The Backstory: From Cyber Chaos to Administration
A massive cyber‑attack rattled the company, and weaker demand piled on top. Nestware Holdings—Carpetright’s parent company—pawned in PwC helpers to scrounge a save‑the‑day scenario.
Inside the Rescue Negotiations
“In the last week, we’ve been hard at work hunting outside investors to guarantee job security for many colleagues across the country,” explains Kevin Barrett, Nestware’s chief executive.
“But we found a buyer, and it’s a select group of stores, not the whole operation—so unfortunately a lot of people are going to miss out,” Barrett admitted.
He added, “We tried every trick in the book to save Carpetright. I’m genuinely sorry we couldn’t keep more hands on the floor.”
What This Means for Carpetright Workers
- Retention from the rescue deal—only a few hundred positions stay.
- Stoic store closures—most of the 272 outlets will be shut.
- Head office casualty—the Purfleet branch will disappear.
It’s a bittersweet chapter: a handful of jobs survive, but the tipping point of 1,000+ lost opportunities spells a major marketplace shift.
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