Ethel Austin announces job cuts
Following this week's news that clothing retailer Ether Austin went into administration, it has been announced that a total of 469 jobs are to go at both Ethel Austin and its sister firm, Au Naturale.
The jobs will go in Knowsley, Merseyside, where the head office and distribution depot are located.
The companies' administrator, MCR, said 129 stores would also close, with closing down sales at the affected stores due to begin on Thursday. The stores will close if a buyer for the retail group cannot be found.
The rest of the group's 300-strong network of stores will continue to trade normally while the administrator looks for a buyer.
The shopworkers' union, Usdaw, said that remaining staff now faced a period of uncertainty about their future."This is devastating news for our members, many of whom are long-serving, loyal employees," said John Gorle from Usdaw.
"We will be working hard with the administrators to salvage what is left," he added.
Ethel Austin went into administration for the second time in as many years earlier this week.
Together with Au Naturale, the chains employ more than 3,700 people.
Posted at 07:52PM Feb 10, 2010 by Kelly Board in The Economy | Comments[0]
