YOU finally get that new job, then, four weeks in, it doesn’t exist.
That’s the tale of Becky Bradshaw, one of the last people to ever work for Snowdrop Independent Living, which closed its doors for good after falling into liquidation.
Becky was hired to work for Snowdrop’s store on Cogan Hill on January 3, then, by January 30 her job vanished.
The retailer closed all seven of its stores, with all 37 employees being made redundant two days before payday.
Becky is now out of pocket a month’s pay. She says she doesn’t understand why Snowdrop took her on.
“I felt they knew the problems before hiring me,” said Becky. “This was an ongoing problem that was happening for a while.”
Becky was on universal credit before getting the job at Snowdrop, then she went back on universal credit after finding out her job was gone.
“I was off when Bethan came in to tell everyone they were getting made redundant,” said Becky. “When I phoned in to say I was sick and I’ll be in the next day, a member of staff told me Bethan will be in touch.”
Becky says it came as a total shock that Snowdrop was closing, with no sense the company was in such dire financial straits.
Now, Becky, along with the rest of the staff, have to wait for a notice of liquidation before applying for redundancy pay – a process that could take a minimum of six weeks.
Despite the set back, 33-year-old Becky, from Dinas Powys, has managed to get on her feet again. After losing her job at Snowdrop she went back on universal credit, but she now has a job as a domiciliary care nurse.
In over two decades, Snowdrop grew from a single shop in Haverfordwest, where it was headquartered, to seven showrooms across the West Midlands and South Wales
Bethan Evans, business recovery partner at accountancy firm Menzies LLP, said the business failed to hit targets.
"Having suffered financial difficulties and having sought advice from insolvency practitioners at Menzies LLP, regrettably Snowdrop Independent Living Ltd has ceased trading on January 30," said Ms Evans.
"All 37 employees have been made redundant with immediate effect. Regrettably, due to the challenging trading conditions, the business was failing to hit its revenue forecasts.”
Becky said Snowdrop was a wonderful place to work, which she will miss.
“I got to meet the customers and staff who were lovely,” said Becky. “The atmosphere was great. We knew each other a short time, but it was lovely meeting them and all the customers who were so appreciative when we did help.”
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