The Original Factory Shop says it will guarantee interviews to retail staff at Wilko and New Look who are at risk of redundancy or have been made redundant in recent weeks.
The multichannel discount retailer is also guaranteeing interviews to those at risk of losing their jobs at retailers including Paperchase, M&Co and more. It currently has more than 80 vacancies across its store estate of 185 shops, where it sells household brands from the clothing, homewares, FMCG and beauty categories. Retail staff are being encouraged to get in touch through its recruitment website or by email at recruitment@tofs.com as The Original Factory Shop looks to hire experienced staff.
Charlie Cuthbert of The Original Factory Shop says: “This pledge will hopefully mean more people remain employed while at the same time bringing their retail expertise and fantastic transferable skills to The Original Factory Shop. As a fellow retailer we have over 80 vacancies available including roles for sales colleagues, supervisors and management roles and want to step in to help.”
The Original Factory Shop was founded by the Black family in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in 1969 in Keighley to offer discounted brands in local communities. The Black family sold the business in 1988 and it was subsequently bought out by its management in 2004, and later that year in a secondary management buyout by private equity firm Duke Street Capital. Over the years it has grown steadily and now has shops in locations from the Scottish highlands to Cornwall, selling products from brands ranging from Nike and Adidas to Coca-Cola and Pedigree at discounts of up to 70%. Shoppers can buy some of its ranges online for home delivery, following the 2020 launch of a transactional website or reserve online for in-store collection, and it also has a mobile app featuring its loyalty club.
The offer comes in the week that Centre for Retail Research figures estimate almost 15,000 UK retail jobs have been lost in the year to February 20. The majority are lost as large retailers rationalise both store and workforce numbers, while others are lost following administrations – most recently including M&Co and Paperchase – and through CVAs (company voluntary agreements). The Original Factory Shop went through its own CVA and refinancing in 2018 and has since launched online while expanding its store estate.
The retailer is ranked Top250 in RXUK Top500 research.
