Carpetright rival buys 54 shops in rescue deal but more than 1,500 jobs will go

Tapi said it was ‘desperately sad not not to have been able to save more of the business and customer orders’. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty

More than 1,500 jobs are to go at Carpetright as a rescue deal for the retailer by its rival Tapi Carpets & Floors saves only a fifth of its stores and 300 employee roles.

The multimillion-pound deal, finalised on Monday, includes 54 stores but not Carpetright’s head office in Purfleet, Essex, while another 219 shops will close.