The apparent closure of a network of firms came as such a shock that some remote working staff became aware only when they tried to log on to work on Monday morning. Others arrived at offices in Yorkshire, Cumbria and Berkshire only to be told that the business was closing down and they were out of a job.
‘Many arrived at work as normal only to be informed that the company had ceased trading with immediate effect,’ one employee told the Gazette. ‘All staff were made unemployed without warning and instructed to collect our personal belongings, hand in our keys, and leave the building. The situation has been shocking and deeply unsettling for everyone affected.’
One branch manager told us they had been instructed on Sunday to put a sign on the door saying that, due to regulatory matters, the firm had been forced to close.
They had tried to contact staff before Monday morning and faced the unenviable task of trying to explain what had happened without understanding it themselves.