Bathstore Goes Into Administration With All Jobs At Risk

Published on: 28 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2019

By Hugh Coakley

Bathstore, the UK chain bathroom specialist with a branch in Sydenham Road in Guildford, called in the administrators on Wednesday (June 26).

In a statement on the Bathstore website, the administrators said: “The stores would remain open to sell products and to fulfil as many orders as possible but there would not be any installation services for an unknown period of time”

Bathstore in Sydenham Road in administration. The showroom is on two levels and has parking outside.

Staff at the Guildford branch, the largest Bathstore in the country, were predictably downbeat in the store on Thursday but they said that they were not able to comment on the collapse of the company. It is understood that all jobs are at risk dependant on whether the company can be sold.

A notice in the store reminded people that Bathstore would not give refunds or exchanges for goods bought before June 26 and after the administration date, refunds would only be accepted “where goods are faulty”.

Press reports have said that installation contracts were cancelled with immediate effect. Contractors were said to have downed tools and left customers without working toilets and bathrooms.

Twitter post from a Bathstore customer with an unfinished bathroom and little hope of completion now by Bathstore.

The closure is another blow to retail in Guildford with many chains having closed or under threat.

Thomas Cook, Mothercare, Maplins, Steamer Trading Cookshop, New Look, Jamie’s Italian, Giraffe, Edinburgh Woollen Mill and West Cornwall Pasty Co have all been victims of the downturn in high street retail. Debenhams is planned to close in early 2020, which will be a huge blow to the town, and Homebase, in the out of town retail park at Ladymead, closes in August 2019.

In the latest twist in the story of retail chains battling to reduce costs, the owner of the fashion chains, Monsoon and Accessorize with a shop in a prime location in Guildford High Street, launched a potential Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) after making a £3.1 million loss on sales of £300 million. This follows Arcadia’s success in getting approval by landlords for a CVA with 25% to 50% rent reductions.

Owners of Monsoon and Accessorize, with prime locations in the High Street and just two doors away from the closed Thomas Cook shop, are reported to be in CVA discussions with landlords to reduce rents.