Workers must be treated with '˜dignity and fairness' as House of Fraser sold

People working at House of Fraser in Chichester must be treated with '˜dignity and fairness', a trade union has said.
House of Fraser in Chichester is earmarked for closureHouse of Fraser in Chichester is earmarked for closure
House of Fraser in Chichester is earmarked for closure

News broke earlier today that the veteran department store chain had been sold for a reported £90m.

The new owner is bargain retail giant Sports Direct.

That had ended the brief period this morning where House of Fraser had been set to appoint administrators.

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A spokesman for shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw said it has welcomed a swift end to House of Fraser being in administration.

Dave Gill, Usdaw national officer, said: “House of Fraser staff have been largely frozen out of the discussions about the future business so far and they were horrified to see the company fall into administration this morning.

“So we welcome a buyer for the whole business being found so quickly, which offers the best opportunity to save jobs.”

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“To be successful the new owners must listen to the staff and engage them fully in turning this company around.

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“It is crucial that staff are treated with dignity and fairness through the transfer process and that is best done by the new owner recognising Usdaw as the trade union for House of Fraser staff.

“We are seeking urgent talks with Sports Direct.

“In the meantime we are providing our members with the support, advice and representation they require at this very difficult time.”

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fifth biggest trade union with more than 430,000 members.

VIDEO: Shoppers in Chichester react to House of Fraser closure