MORE than three hundred jobs at the UK headquarters of Britain’s biggest selling carpet retailer, will be safeguarded if Britain votes to remain in the European Union.
The retail industry will be the first to suffer if Britain votes to leave, a ‘town hall’ style meeting of staff at ‘Carpetright’ in Purfleet was told by the Essex Labour Euro MP Richard Howitt today (14 June 2016).
Other major retailers across the country have backed the campaign to ‘remain in’ including Marks & Spencer, Dixons Carphone, Burberry, Kingfisher, Kurt Geiger, Mothercare, Ocado, Ann Summers, and ASDA, the Labour Euro MP told the workers.
Richard Howitt MEP said:
"Retailers form Britain’s biggest private sector employer and you are the biggest carpet retailer, so what you think really makes a difference.
"Your carpets are already shipped from here in Thurrock to Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, whilst 120 of your company’s 560 stores are elsewhere in Europe.
"Meanwhile three-quarters of the materials which make up the carpets are imported.
"Already the uncertainty created by the possibility of leaving the European Union has hit the consumer confidence and seen the exchange rate drop.
"That means higher costs to the company, higher prices to consumers and fewer sales overall.
"Why should anyone in Thurrock want to vote to leave the European Union to make our families and our country poorer, and to put their jobs and Britain’s economy at risk?
"Voting to remain in the European Union is right for Carpetright and right for Britain."
