Comet store in Chorley under closure threat

As Comet stores are closing down this week, two of its stores survived the initial round of closures, by Comet’s administrators Deloitte. Bolton’s stores at Middlebrook and Trinity Retail Park have been left open along with stores in Bury, Leigh and Wigan also escaping closures.

Comet which fell into administration three weeks ago, had struggled to balance in-store and online shopping experience. Last week, Comet’s administrators Deloitte confirmed to close down 41 Comet stores by the end of November, unless a buyer is found, which can overturn the fate of 6,000-odd staff at Comet stores.

Comet closing down sales began in 27 stores at the weekend and will begin in a further 14 stores next week. Deloitte confirmed that there would be discounts at Bolton Comet stores, along with another 193 stores around the country.

While Comet staff at Bolon were unable to comment yesterday, a Deloitte spokeman said, “While the administrators will look to redeploy staff from any stores which do face closure to other stores nearby, there will inevitably be redundancies. An employee helpline and assistance programme is in place. The administrators continue to hold discussions with parties who have expressed interest in parts of the Comet business.” The spokesman said that it is inevitable to begin the closure process and that staff consultation is underway.

While Bolton stores have survived closure, the Comet store in Scunthorpe has not been lucky enough. Sign boards outside the store which announce a close down sale reveal that its closure is in the offing. Surprisingly, the Scunthorpe store was not under the list of closures announced a few days ago.

Related:
Comet store closures result in another 735 job cuts
41 Comet stores closing down by November-end, 1,000 jobs under threat