// 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!
— H (@Hayley1408) February 1, 2021
We’re not part of “your family”… we’ve all lost our jobs and been made redundant. All stores are closing, we closed ours this week. Spare a thought for all of us staff, especially those who have just found out they are jobless through the media and your tweet. Not good enough
— lisa (@Lisaa_Mchendry) February 1, 2021
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
… and thousands of people facing redundancy are now finding out their fate through @ASOS Twitter account. Nice one 🖕🏻
— Jack Perrin (@JackPerrin1) February 1, 2021
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
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