Staff at Homebase in Oban say they are at their ‘wit’s end’ as they face job uncertainty over the festive period.
The store is one of 49 at risk of closure across the UK after the DIY and garden retailer went into administration last month.
While the store is open for the foreseeable future, workers claim to have been told the likelihood is that their jobs will go in the long run.
One employee told The Press and Journal: “I am at my wit’s end.
“We have Christmas to think of, and I want to buy everyone presents but come the new year, we just don’t know if we will have any money coming in.
“At the moment we are in limbo. But the store is open and it is busier than ever.
“So at least we are not standing twiddling our thumbs, not that we ever did.”
Another said: “Some staff have been here for decades and overnight we have been told we are to lose our jobs.
‘We have been like a family’
“When you are older it is really going to be difficult to find something new.
“Everyone is just gutted.”
He added: “This has been a busy store, and made plenty of profit. It is a really sad day that we will no longer be here.
“We have been like a family, and we are really sorry that it is going to come to an end.”
One staff member said: “I just do not know what I am going to do.
“We have been told that the new buyer for part of Homebase doesn’t want to buy us over, so it means we are all going to be made redundant.
“The workers have not been offered jobs in other stores, and we have not been given a date when the store will close.
“I just don’t know what I am going to do next. If the jobs go in January or February it is a really difficult time to find a new job.
“Some of the staff have been here since the store opened and they are taking it really badly.
“It is as though they have given their life to Homebase, but Homebase has just not bothered to look after them.
“Staff are being made redundant but it is not a huge payment.”
Oban Homebase ‘seeking a buyer’
The Oban Homebase manager said on Facebook: “As nearly everyone knows our store is in administration and we are currently seeking a buyer, hopefully that happens and the team can have some clarity regarding their future.
“Our ‘soft’ sale started last week and at the same time, many of our suppliers have stopped orders so we will start to run out of many products soon.
“Our website is not currently aligned with the current discounts so it’s easier, for all, to visit the store for any potential purchase.”
Teneo was appointed as administrator following the collapse of HHGL Limited and Hampden Group Limited, operating under the brand Homebase.
The firm has declined to comment.
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