A MAJOR home improvement brand is set to cease trading after 31 years, affecting thousands of customers.
Windows and doors brand Safestyle has collapsed into administration and ceased trading straight away.
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The company has a manufacturing site in Wombwell, near Barnsley and 42 sales branches and depots across the country.
Each has now ceased trading as of this afternoon.
The news will come as a blow to customers with outstanding work to be done, as administrators at Interpath Advisory have now confirmed orders won’t be completed.
Some may even be left with doors and windows not fully installed as half-way finished work will not be completed.
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Customers will instead need to find alternative businesses to do the work.
Anyone who has paid a deposit for the work to be completed will need to try to get their cash back through their bank.
Administrators have confirmed around 680 of Safestyle’s workers have been made redundant.
Around 70 of the manufacturer’s 750 employees would be kept on in the short term to help wind down the business.
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The company, which first opened back in 1992, suspended its shares from trading in London last Friday after it realised that a rescue deal was unlikely to give shareholders any money back.
Later that day it announced it intended to appoint administrators after failing to find a buyer.
The company’s subsidiary HPAS and holding companies Style Group Holdings and Style Group UK also decided they could not keep trading as a result.
Safestyle had struggled after facing several pressures, including skyrocketing inflation and poor consumer confidence, administrators said.
The unseasonably warm weather in September also dented demand for its products, which include PVC windows and guard doors.
Rick Harrison, managing director at Interpath Advisory, said: “These are really challenging times for companies across the home improvement market.
“After seeing strong sales during the Covid lockdown periods, many companies are seeing trading being impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and soaring costs.”
He added that its immediate priority is to provide support to those impacted by redundancy.
What does it mean for customers?
Customer orders that have not been delivered will not now be fulfilled.
Administrators are still looking for a buyer for all or parts of the business which could mean that the work is completed under new ownership – but there’s not guarantee of that happening,
It means that even if the company is part-way through an installation it will not complete any orders.
Instead customers will need to find an alternative installer, Interpath said
Any customers with outstanding work to be done will not be charged for any remaining balance on their orders.
If they’ve been charged a deposit ahead of an installation, they should try to get that money back through their credit or debit card provider.
If they paid in cash they will not get the money back and will have to register as a creditor of Safestyle.
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Customers who have had windows fitted but are experiencing a warranty issue should contact the warranty insurance provider, Installsure.
If you’ve had your windows fitted but are paying for them via a payment plan you should keep making payments as usual, Interpath said.
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