240 jobs to go at Harveys as administrators brought in
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The owner of furniture chain Harveys, which has a branch in Inverness, has called in administrators – with the immediate loss of 240 jobs.
It is understood that around 20 Harveys stores could be closed if the administration process does not work out.
Bensons for Beds, which is part of Harveys' owners Blue Group and is also based in the Harveys outlet in Telford Street in Inverness, will also see around 50 of its outlets close, leaving between 150 and 175 open.
However it is not yet known which branches will be affected.
The move follows the three-month coronavirus lockdown.
Blue Group brought in PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrator yesterday and the search is on for buyers for the business and its three manufacturing plants.
Harveys is not taking any new orders but has promised to honour existing ones, according to a statement on its website.
Alteri Investors, which owns Blue Group, has taken the decision to restructure the business with the aim of making Bensons a standalone business.
Gavin George, Alteri chief executive, said: "A combination of structural issues and Covid means we are going to have to leave behind the underperforming part of the business."
