// Topshop staff informed that their jobs were likely to go 2 hours after Asos announced their takeover
// Angry staff flooded social media complaining they found out via Twitter and through media reports
// The Asos deal will save 300 jobs but 2500 staff will be made redundant as Topshops’ stores are not part of the deal
Thousands of Topshop store staff were only officially informed that their jobs were likely to go two hours after Asos announced their £330 million takeover of the brand, news reports have suggested.
Angry workers flooded social media complaining that they found out the online giant would not be buying stores – and saving their jobs – via Twitter and through media reports.
Asos announced the deal to save the Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge brands at 7am, and by 7.45am the online retailer sent out a tweet welcoming Topshop and Topman to “the Asos family”.
READ MORE:
- Arcadia Group to cut jobs at West Midlands warehouse after Asos deal
- Asos mulls keeping Topshop’s Oxford Street flagship after Arcadia deal
- Asos acquires Topshop, Topman & Miss Selfridge in £330m deal
However, it took Deloitte until 9am to inform around 2500 staff at 70 remaining Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge stores that they would not be part of the acquisition, PA Wires reported.
Administrators later confirmed that only about 300 jobs would be saved as part of the deal.
It is understood that these staff are highly likely to be made redundant, although some workers could be retained for a short period to process remaining stock, which has been bought by Asos, and send from stores.
About 13,000 jobs were put at risk when Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group first tumbled into administration at the start of December.
Online retailer Boohoo is reportedly now in exclusive talks to buy Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands, in a move which would likely not include stores.
The responses to the Asos’ tweet welcoming Topshop and Topman as “part of the Asos family” have been varied, including the following:
Spare a thought for all the staff that have been made redundant before you start crowing on social media! THEY should have been told first – NOT twitter!
— Hayley Brewin (@Hayley1408) February 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/Lisaa_Mchendry/status/1356196746100174852?s=20
A completely ill-timed and insensitive announcement, spare a thought for the thousands of staff who have woken up with morning to find out they are unemployed via the news. Disappointed in the administrators and your brand for treating staff this way
— kay (@kayrich_x) February 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/JackPerrin1/status/1356155492989612035?s=20
Would have been nice to have this communicated to Arcadia staff before the Twitter celebrations started 🥴🥲
— Danni (@danni_griffin_) February 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/wait___man/status/1356184895786266625?s=20
@ASOS imagine waking up to see this on social media that you’ve just lost your job that you fought so hard to get and loved so much. It’s so insensitive and cruel. Through the tears I’ve just deleted my account with you
— JAY 🔥✌🏼 (@iyaajay) February 1, 2021
Thank you for telling me I lost my job before my employer even got round to doing it, could you not have waited at least 1 day before announcing that you have bought out thousands of jobs from people…especially in a time like this!😡
— Scarlet Rawson (@scarletrawson) February 1, 2021
Deloitte has not yet made a statement in response to the controversy.
with PA Wires
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
I have no sympathy for the people that lost there jobs. They was given many warnings about the company when main stream news channels (e.g skynews, bbc) reported down on profits etc pre pandemic.
So they’ve had plenty of time to jump this sinking ship. Second of all there are plenty of websites like this one and others like Drapers retail that report insight information hourly, daily, weekly and also these website are connected to social media so haven’t got far to look but they would rather use the spare time watching silly Tik tok videos or posting on other social media sites instead of being in the know!
Of course in thr real world,people are going to try to hold on to what ever job they have even so they will get their redundancy.If you leave before youre made redundant you get nothing.
Hopefully, Next Captain of Industry, you are NOT. Your syntax matches your compassion. I would not want you as Captain of any Industry. All these associates deserved the respect of proper notification of redundancy. It’s called decency.
I’m sure you would have had sympathy if this would of happened to one of your parents as a child. Imagine the thought of not knowing if you feed your children and keep a roof over their head through sheer greed of the companies owner. Have some compassion.