Job losses as two online retailers go into administration

Two Lancashire retailers have gone into administration following financial challenges and stock issues with the loss of 12 jobs.

Rick Harrison and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory have been appointed joint administrators to online retailers, Big Home Shop and Physioroom.

Big Home Shop sells garden furniture, outdoor equipment and other general furniture items via various channels on Amazon and other such online marketplaces.

Physioroom sells home exercise, recovery and injury prevention equipment via its dedicated website.

Both companies operate from leasehold premises in Padiham, near Burnley.

Big Home Shop had recently experienced financial challenges which were then exacerbated by significant stock issues caused by international shipping delays.

This resulted in a large funding requirement that the company was unable to meet.

With Physioroom reliant on Big Home Shop for a number of services which it was no longer able to provide, the loss of these services, combined with recent trading losses, meant that Physioroom was also unable to fund ongoing trade.

The joint administrators will continue to trade both businesses while all options are assessed, and have retained the majority of the companies’ 35 staff to assist them while they trade.

However, there have been 12 redundancies, and the joint administrators are providing assistance to those employees affected.

Rick Harrison, managing director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said: “Big Home Shop is a seasonal business.

“Unfortunately, the well-publicised international shipping delays seen across the globe in 2021 had a significant impact on the Company’s stock, which led to lower than usual trading through its peak season. We will continue to trade the business while all options are assessed.”