Carpetright is teetering on the brink of administration, which puts all of its 272 stores and nearly 3,000 jobs in jeopardy. The significant carpet and tiling retailer has filed a notice to appoint administrators from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as it aims to safeguard the company’s long-term survival.
This development follows the news earlier this week that Carpetright had been put up for sale. Today, the company filed a High Court intention to enter administration, providing Carpetright with a ten-day grace period while it seeks a last minute buyer.
PwC had already collaborated with the retailer to secure last-minute additional funding for continued trading. This decision stems from a software attack in April that caused business disruption and added more financial strain on the company.
Hackers aimed their attack at the company headquarters in Purfleet, Essex, deploying malware to gain unauthorised access. Carpetright was forced to disconnect its network due to the attack, but management confirmed the virus was contained before data could be compromised.
Both staff and hundreds of customers were impacted by the malicious virus, preventing employees from accessing critical payroll information. A source informed The Sun at the time: ‘Some staff networks were taken down including the portals that workers use to book time off and look at pay slips,” reports the Express.
“It happened abruptly and was worrying because customers couldn’t get through to helplines. Everything at HQ was taken offline as that was the best way to stop the attack spreading to customer data.”