Flight Centre extends helping hand to Dick Smith staff

Flight Centre extends helping hand to Dick Smith staff

Flight Centre has held out a lifeline to the nearly 2,500 Dick Smith employees now out of work as the electronics retailer confirmed its closure.

In January, it became known that Dick Smith had racked up debts in the order of $400 million with a buyer desperately sought.

Then on Thursday, it was announced that receivers Ferrier Hodgson had been appointed to oversee the chain’s closure over an eight-week period, with a fire sale kicking off across its 301 stores in Australia and New Zealand on Friday with items slashed by a minimum 20% to 40%.

Almost 2,500 staff will be affected by the collapse, but Flight Centre appears to be offering them a possible solution.

News.com.au reported that Flight Centre’s human resources director Carol Cooper had stated that all Dick Smith employees would be admissible to the final stage of the company’s recruitment process, with a view to achieving a sales consultant or support role.

“We sympathise with the tough position these employees are in and recognise that they have good customer service skills and sales experience that we believe would make them an asset to our company,” she was reported as saying.

The offer was apparently made to Ferrier Hodgson, with those interested advised to attend information days around the country or to contact the retailer’s careers department directly.

Image credit: iStock

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