Latest news with #Carpetright
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major update on Carpetright closures as dates for stores opening under new name confirmed
Adele Cooke, Senior Consumer Reporter Published: Invalid Date, FOUR former Carpetright stores will reopen as branches of Tapi in days after the chain unveiled 21 new shops so far this spring. Carpetright entered into administration on July 22, 2024, after 'challenging trading conditions' put pressure on the homeware retailer. The brand was then acquired by Tapi, who purchased two of its warehouses and 54 of its retail units. Tapi was founded in 2014 by Martin Harris, the son of Carpetright founder Lord Harris of Peckham. The move aimed to save 308 jobs and preserve the Carpetright brand, with hopes it would flourish under new ownership. So far 21 new shops have opened this spring in the following locations: Bristol Cannock Carmarthen Chesterfield Cramlington East Grinstead East Sheen Epsom Hereford Ipswich Lancaster Mansfield Newbury Newmarket North Shields Sevenoaks Southampton Teddington Trowbridge Wimbledon Woking Tapi has now announced that four new stores will open in May. Former Carpetright stores in Basildon, Coventry, Crawley and Leeds Birstall will all open as Tapi shops this month. The stores will stock a selection of carpet, laminate, luxury vinyl, vinyl and engineered wood. Once these additional stores reopen, the total number of Carpetright locations that have reopened as Tapi will rise to 25. Charlie Harris, director of buying at Tapi Carpets and Floors said: 'Everyone at Tapi is really excited about our new store openings over the coming weeks. Why are retailers closing shops? EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline. The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors. In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping. Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed. The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing. Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns. Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead. In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few. What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online. They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. 'Each of these stores has been carefully chosen to bring us closer to our mission of delivering great value flooring to everyone in Britain and we're quietly confident that they will be a real success for us.' It is not yet clear if and when the remaining 31 Tapi stores will open. Which Carpetright stores were bought by Tapi? According to administrators PwC the following Carpetright stores were purchased by Tapi: Basildon Birmingham Erdington Bishopbriggs Bristol Longwell Green Camborne Camden Carmarthen Cheadle Chesterfield Chichester Chippenham Clapham Common Coventry Airport Retail Park Cramlington Croydon Dumbarton Dumfries East Sheen Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Epsom Farnborough Friern Barnet Haywards Heath Hemel Hempstead Hereford High Wycombe Loudwater Holloway Hove Ipswich Anglia Park Lancaster Leeds Kirkstall Maidstone Mansfield New Malden Newbury Newmarket North Shields Norwich Sprowston Peterborough Plymouth Marsh Mills Southampton Hedge End Stockton Swindon Bridgemead Teddington Trowbridge Truro Washington Armstrong West Wickham Weston-Super-Mare Weymouth Whetstone Wimbledon Woking Yeovil Chessington Warehouse Croydon Warehouse Which other stores have returned to the high street? Several Homebase stores have reopened as branches of The Range as part of a rescue deal. The DIY chain entered into administration in November but was partially rescued by billionaire Chris Dawson, owner of CDS Superstores, the parent company of The Range and Wilko. The intervention aimed to preserve up to 70 stores, safeguard 1,600 jobs and retain the Homebase brand. Huge chain Carpetright survives So far 45 new format superstores have opened across the UK and Republic of Ireland since the beginning of the year. These are The Range stores with Homebase departments, such as Garden Centres by Homebase or Kitchens by Homebase. Six sites will open this month in Stamford, Market Harborough, Cookstown, Tiverton, Santry, Dublin and Clitheroe. Stores in Stamford and Market Harborough reopened yesterday. Meanwhile, shops in Cookstown, Tiverton and Santry, Dublin will open on May 9. The Clitheroe store will reopen on May 16. Once all of these stores have reopened, the total number of former Homebase locations to have been acquired by The Range will rise to 49. Meanwhile, Topshop has teased a return to the High Street and confirmed its new website will launch later this year. Asos rescued the company four years ago and has now signed a deal to sell the clothing in a number of its partner stores. The website will exclusively sell the brand's clothing and is expected to launch in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, Wilko has returned to the high street after falling into collapse. The brand, website and intellectual property were purchased by the owners of The Range and since then six Wilkos have reopened across the UK.
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major update on Carpetright closures as dates for stores opening under new name confirmed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOUR former Carpetright stores will reopen as branches of Tapi in days after the chain unveiled 21 new shops so far this spring. Carpetright entered into administration on July 22, 2024, after 'challenging trading conditions' put pressure on the homeware retailer. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Four former Carpetright stores are set to reopen as Tapi shops this month Credit: Athena The brand was then acquired by Tapi, who purchased two of its warehouses and 54 of its retail units. Tapi was founded in 2014 by Martin Harris, the son of Carpetright founder Lord Harris of Peckham. The move aimed to save 308 jobs and preserve the Carpetright brand, with hopes it would flourish under new ownership. So far 21 new shops have opened this spring in the following locations: Bristol Cannock Carmarthen Chesterfield Cramlington East Grinstead East Sheen Epsom Hereford Ipswich Lancaster Mansfield Newbury Newmarket North Shields Sevenoaks Southampton Teddington Trowbridge Wimbledon Woking Tapi has now announced that four new stores will open in May. Former Carpetright stores in Basildon, Coventry, Crawley and Leeds Birstall will all open as Tapi shops this month. The stores will stock a selection of carpet, laminate, luxury vinyl, vinyl and engineered wood. Once these additional stores reopen, the total number of Carpetright locations that have reopened as Tapi will rise to 25. Charlie Harris, director of buying at Tapi Carpets and Floors said: 'Everyone at Tapi is really excited about our new store openings over the coming weeks. Why are retailers closing shops? EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline. The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors. In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping. Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed. The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing. Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns. Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead. In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few. What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online. They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. 'Each of these stores has been carefully chosen to bring us closer to our mission of delivering great value flooring to everyone in Britain and we're quietly confident that they will be a real success for us.' It is not yet clear if and when the remaining 31 Tapi stores will open. Which Carpetright stores were bought by Tapi? According to administrators PwC the following Carpetright stores were purchased by Tapi: Basildon Birmingham Erdington Bishopbriggs Bristol Longwell Green Camborne Camden Carmarthen Cheadle Chesterfield Chichester Chippenham Clapham Common Coventry Airport Retail Park Cramlington Croydon Dumbarton Dumfries East Sheen Edinburgh Hermiston Gait Epsom Farnborough Friern Barnet Haywards Heath Hemel Hempstead Hereford High Wycombe Loudwater Holloway Hove Ipswich Anglia Park Lancaster Leeds Kirkstall Maidstone Mansfield New Malden Newbury Newmarket North Shields Norwich Sprowston Peterborough Plymouth Marsh Mills Southampton Hedge End Stockton Swindon Bridgemead Teddington Trowbridge Truro Washington Armstrong West Wickham Weston-Super-Mare Weymouth Whetstone Wimbledon Woking Yeovil Chessington Warehouse Croydon Warehouse Which other stores have returned to the high street? Several Homebase stores have reopened as branches of The Range as part of a rescue deal. The DIY chain entered into administration in November but was partially rescued by billionaire Chris Dawson, owner of CDS Superstores, the parent company of The Range and Wilko. The intervention aimed to preserve up to 70 stores, safeguard 1,600 jobs and retain the Homebase brand. Huge chain Carpetright survives So far 45 new format superstores have opened across the UK and Republic of Ireland since the beginning of the year. These are The Range stores with Homebase departments, such as Garden Centres by Homebase or Kitchens by Homebase. Six sites will open this month in Stamford, Market Harborough, Cookstown, Tiverton, Santry, Dublin and Clitheroe. Stores in Stamford and Market Harborough reopened yesterday. Meanwhile, shops in Cookstown, Tiverton and Santry, Dublin will open on May 9. The Clitheroe store will reopen on May 16. Once all of these stores have reopened, the total number of former Homebase locations to have been acquired by The Range will rise to 49. Meanwhile, Topshop has teased a return to the High Street and confirmed its new website will launch later this year. Asos rescued the company four years ago and has now signed a deal to sell the clothing in a number of its partner stores. The website will exclusively sell the brand's clothing and is expected to launch in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, Wilko has returned to the high street after falling into collapse. The brand, website and intellectual property were purchased by the owners of The Range and since then six Wilkos have reopened across the UK. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Carpetright: popular vinyl flooring and DIY stores to reopen
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now The retailer is betting on bricks-and-mortar with stylish stores packed full of deals 🛍️ Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Popular flooring retailer Tapi is reopening more ex-Carpetright stores across the UK Four new locations Basildon, Coventry, Crawley and Leeds Birstall - will open this month It follows Tapi's acquisition of Carpetright brand, warehouses and 54 sites in 2024 21 former Carpetright stores have already relaunched as Tapi shops this spring Tapi says the new stores are part of a major push to expand its national presence A raft of stores once operated by a popular carpet retailer are set to reopen this year. Another four former Carpetright units will be relaunched this month by Tapi, which acquired the brand, two warehouses, and 54 retail sites from administration in July last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tapi continues to invest in expanding its retail footprint, and the outlets will add to the 21 new stores it has already launched this spring. Customers in a branch of Carpetright in 2017 (Photo:) | Getty Images Charlie Harris, director of buying at Tapi Carpets & Floors said: 'Everyone at Tapi is really excited about our new store openings over the coming weeks. 'We're investing heavily to ensure that every store lives up to our high standards and they will be full to the brim with a wide selection of Carpet, Laminate, Luxury Vinyl, Vinyl and Engineered Wood. 'Each of these stores has been carefully chosen to bring us closer to our mission of delivering great value flooring to everyone in Britain and we're quietly confident that they will be a real success for us.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Where will the new Tapi stores be? The four new Tapi locations - reopening in former Carpetright stores - are as follows: Basildon Coventry Crawley Leeds Birstall These add to the former Carpetright stores that reopened as Tapi Carpets this spring: Bristol Cannock Carmarthen Chesterfield Cramlington East Grinstead East Sheen Epsom Hereford Ipswich Lancaster Mansfield Newbury Newmarket North Shields Sevenoaks Southampton Teddington Trowbridge Wimbledon Woking Are you struggling to make ends meet as costs continue to rise? You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Scotsman
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Popular carpet stores to reopen as UK expansion grows – full list of locations
The retailer is betting on bricks-and-mortar with stylish stores packed full of deals 🛍️ Sign up to the weekly Cost Of Living newsletter. Saving tips, deals and money hacks. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Popular flooring retailer Tapi is reopening more ex-Carpetright stores across the UK Four new locations Basildon, Coventry, Crawley and Leeds Birstall - will open this month It follows Tapi's acquisition of Carpetright brand, warehouses and 54 sites in 2024 21 former Carpetright stores have already relaunched as Tapi shops this spring Tapi says the new stores are part of a major push to expand its national presence A raft of stores once operated by a popular carpet retailer are set to reopen this year. Another four former Carpetright units will be relaunched this month by Tapi, which acquired the brand, two warehouses, and 54 retail sites from administration in July last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tapi continues to invest in expanding its retail footprint, and the outlets will add to the 21 new stores it has already launched this spring. Customers in a branch of Carpetright in 2017 (Photo:) | Getty Images Charlie Harris, director of buying at Tapi Carpets & Floors said: 'Everyone at Tapi is really excited about our new store openings over the coming weeks. 'We're investing heavily to ensure that every store lives up to our high standards and they will be full to the brim with a wide selection of Carpet, Laminate, Luxury Vinyl, Vinyl and Engineered Wood. 'Each of these stores has been carefully chosen to bring us closer to our mission of delivering great value flooring to everyone in Britain and we're quietly confident that they will be a real success for us.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Where will the new Tapi stores be? The four new Tapi locations - reopening in former Carpetright stores - are as follows: Basildon Coventry Crawley Leeds Birstall These add to the former Carpetright stores that reopened as Tapi Carpets this spring: Bristol Cannock Carmarthen Chesterfield Cramlington East Grinstead East Sheen Epsom Hereford Ipswich Lancaster Mansfield Newbury Newmarket North Shields Sevenoaks Southampton Teddington Trowbridge Wimbledon Woking
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
M&S betting on customer patience as cyber-attack threatens to ruin 2025's strong start
Marks & Spencer was enjoying a strong start to 2025 thanks to a fashion revival and the warm spring weather. That has now been seriously undermined as the retailer scrambles to deal with disruption caused by a massive cyber-attack it first revealed a week ago. At a time when M&S – alongside most major retailers – are pushing more automation on its customers and workers, industry insiders say the retailer's staff have been forced to return to pens, paper and clipboards to check stock in stores as internal systems have been put on hold. Every second counts now, for M&S's bottom line and for its reputation. Shoppers report problems with the use of gift cards in stores while thousands of orders made on or after 23 April have been cancelled. On Monday, it emerged that the difficulties were now affecting Ocado, as M&S's deliveries of a small number of packaged foods to the online specialist it co-owns, were hit. The cyber-attack first hit stores just over a week ago, with M&S pausing contactless payments and the collection of online orders last Tuesday. On Thursday, those systems mostly restarted but M&S halted all orders on its website – which accounts for just over a third of clothing and homewares sales – amounting to almost £3.8m a day. As Patrick O'Brien, a retail analyst at GlobalData, says, cyber-attacks can have major consequences for businesses. 'This is one of the most damaging cyber-attacks on a major UK retailer we have seen, the worst since Carpetright last year, which tipped an already very weak retailer into administration,' he says. M&S is a much stronger and larger business than Carpetright and not likely to be at risk of collapse, but the attack is having a direct impact on sales and as O'Brien says, the longer the disruption goes on, the more likely customers are to take their money elsewhere. While most of the problems did not start until the later part of the Easter bank holiday, according to M&S, the attack cut off a run of buoyant trading. What M&S says was a separate incident also affected contactless payments in stores on the Saturday before Easter. Before then, sales had jumped almost 9% in the three months to 30 March, according to industry analysts Kantar, well above the wider fashion industry, as it continued to win over shoppers. M&S may derive some comfort from the fact that this is not happening during a peak trading period such as before Easter or Christmas, and Clive Black, M&S's house broker at Shore Capital, said he expected the retailer to recoup any losses resulting from the attack via insurance. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion 'The financial impact will be a zero sum game,' he says. 'I don't believe there will be enduring damage unless they don't manage to fix it.' 'There will be Mr & Mrs Angry from Tunbridge Wells but most people can see in the last decade that M&S has materially improved as a business and there will be some sympathy. This is not something it brought on itself but a malevolent force.' O'Brien agrees: 'Customers are surprisingly forgiving.'
