LETTER FROM TAPI EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

To those affected by the administration of Carpetright,

Our industry is built by brilliant people. Since learning about the situation at Carpetright last week, we at Tapi have been working tirelessly to offer as much support as we can. However, as we looked into the details of the situation, we quickly established that saving the entire business was unviable. The business has been materially loss making for a number of years and it has significant debt held by the owner.

A little on Tapi. We founded Tapi nearly 10 years ago and have built it on the principles of being long term and customer obsessed. A partner and mentor of mine has always told me to treat customers like they are your gran and to make decisions that would make your Mum proud. This letter is written and actioned with the second concept firmly in our mind.

Whilst Tapi and Carpetright have competed for customers for years, we deeply empathise with every employee and supplier impacted by this situation. Over the past week, we’ve gained a deep understanding of the UK administration process, and we’ve been astonished by how it often leaves those most affected in the dark. We’d like to do as much as we can to help those who have lost their jobs.

We are adding 54 stores, 2 warehouses and over 350 employees to the Tapi family. We would have loved to take on more stores but we really couldn’t - having a large number of dual locations and being mindful of any Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) repercussions dictated our end size. We also believe that we were the only offer that the administrator received that saved a large number of roles.

We intend to prioritise Carpetright staff for new roles that we hire over the coming year. Resources are also being organised to help with CV writing, career advice, and general support. Clarity, a recruitment company that Tapi regularly works with, has been engaged to assist each of you in building your CVs, finding job opportunities and preparing for interviews. We’ve also established connections with organisations like Jobcentre Plus to provide further advice and assistance.

Kevin, Carpetright’s CEO has been very helpful, quickly mobilising his business network to identify retailers open to hiring staff. Kevin and I have spent the past few days contacting as many retailers as possible to help introduce affected Carpetright staff to potential new roles. We’ve asked these retailers to prioritise your application for any positions that they have, helping you return to work as quickly as possible. We will continue reaching out, so if any company wants to find passionate, hard working staff please contact me directly at [email protected].

I can only imagine the stress and upset of the past few months. I am personally committed to doing as much as I can to support you during this difficult period. If you have any practical ideas for things that might be helpful, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

William Barker

Executive Chairman, Tapi