Carpetright to close Oldham branch

Picture courtesy of Google Street View

Retailer Carpetright has announced plans which will see 92 stores closing their doors for the final time - including one at the Elk Mill retail park in Oldham - as part of a restructuring operation.

Three of the 92 include stores based in Greater Manchester, with stores in Oldham, Wigan and Bury set to go as the company sheds around 300 jobs.

The news will come as yet another blow to the job market in Oldham and less than 24-hours after online retailer Shop Direct announced plans to close its three warehouses in Greater Manchester, two of which are in Shaw and the Raven Mill in Chadderton, with the loss of around 2,000 jobs.

Carpetright has been struggling in recent times with underperforming outlets making high rental costs tough to take.

Bosses have announced they are planning to close the worst performing stores as part of this restructuring programme and ask for rent concessions at 113 other stores across the country.

Wilf Walsh, Carpetright's chief executive, said: "These tough but necessary actions will enable us to address the burden of a legacy UK property estate consisting of too many poorly located stores on unsustainable rents and are essential if we are to restore our profitability and deliver a successful turnaround."

Carpetright shops in Ashton and Rochdale look set to survive the planned closures.