Dixons to hire up to 2,000 Comet staff for seasonal roles

Electricals chain Dixons Retail has received nearly 200 new applications in the last day from rival chain Comet employees who expect to lose their jobs as a result of their employer’s collapse, a Dixon Retail spokesman has told recruiter.co.uk.
Thurs, 8 Nov 2012
Electricals chain Dixons Retail has received nearly 200 new applications in the last day from rival chain Comet employees who expect to lose their jobs as a result of their employer’s collapse, a Dixon Retail spokesman has told recruiter.co.uk.

The 200 new applications follow 500 enquiries from Comet employees earlier this week when that company was placed into administration, with the jobs of the 7,000 employees threatened.

The latest wave of applications also follow a pledge from Dixons Retail chief executive Sebastian James to help put some of the 7,000 Comet employees into work at his chain which includes Currys and PC World stores.

Dixons Retail is recruiting 3,000 seasonal employees to handle the Christmas shopping season, with 2,000 in-store roles and the rest in the firm’s distribution centre in Newark in Nottinghamshire and call centre in Sheffield, the company spokesman told recruiter.co.uk.

He went on to say that as many as 2,000 Comet employees could be recruited to fill the seasonal roles available at Dixons Retail. “Lots of Comet employees will come with great expertise and product knowledge,” the spokesman said. “We’ll choose the ones who are passionate about customer service.” He said any new Comet recruits to join Dixons Retail will receive the same new employee training as non-Comet recruits.

Staff turnover at Dixons Retail has dropped in “the last couple of years”, the spokesman said. “Like all retailers, churn is a constant challenge but in relative terms we are doing well, and seen as a place for a career by many of our colleagues.”

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