Empire Direct have gone into administration. Updated more.

Triker

In panic here, awaiting a fridge all paid for, cannot get through on any phone numbers re sayno to O870, and main number, cannot get on website get BAD REQUEST INVALID HOSTNAME message. Tried going through different websites to access it, no joy.

This is not sounding good, anyone had any recent dealings with Empire Direct?

Update.

This is now on the Empire Direct Website. Info here for those with order queries.

Mark Firmin and Richard Fleming, both of KPMG LLP, were appointed in the High Court as Joint Administrators of Empire Direct Plc on 19 January 2009. The business is unable to trade in administration due to low stock levels and operating losses and accordingly the stores have been closed. The administrators are working hard to assess the position for customers who have made payments and not received goods. We will endeavour to contact these customers over the next few weeks.
Anyone interested in acquiring any part of the business should contact the administrators forthwith.
The administrators anticipate that the following helplines will be available from as early as possible on 20th January 2009.
If you are a customer then please call the helpline on 08714729000. If you are a supplier then please call the helpline on 08714729001. Alternatively you can send an email to [EMAIL="orderqueries@empiredirect.co.uk"]orderqueries@empiredirect.co.uk[/EMAIL].
Please note that emails will be responded to as soon as possible, however this may not be on the same day that we receive your query.
The affairs, business and property of Empire Direct Plc are being managed by the Joint Administrators
The Joint Administrators act as agents of the company and contract without personal liability
Mark Granville Firmin is authorised to act as an insolvency practitioner by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales Richard Dixon Fleming is authorised to act as an insolvency practitioner by the Insolvency Practitioners Association.







I've emailed with a copy of my order email from Empire Direct and details of my order number.


Kindly posted by Pen1. Quoted from RetailBulletin.

“We are working hard with the remaining employees to establish a list of customers with outstanding orders and much of our immediate effort will be focused on communicating with them. Within the first few weeks of the administration, we are aiming to contact all customers who have paid for goods which they have not received.



UPDATE SATURDAY 24TH JAN 09
Sorry folks been sent this by a friend on here, situation hopeless it seems for many of us


Electrical customers to lose cash



Nearly 1,800 people may be left out of pocket after the collapse of electrical goods retailer Empire Direct.
The Leeds-based firm went into administration on Monday, and 158 of its 350 employees were made redundant.
Stores in Bolton, Bradford, Chingford, Derby, Doncaster, Dudley, Huddersfield, Leeds, Loughborough, Nuneaton, Romford and Wetherby have closed.
Administrators KPMG said customers who had paid with cash would not receive their ordered goods.
The customer phone line we established on Tuesday has received a thousand calls a day from concerned customers


Mark Firmin, KPMG


KPMG said 5,800 customers had placed orders and paid for goods they had not received.
Of those, 4,800 paid by card and KPMG estimated that just over 4,000 of those would be able to claim a refund from their card issuer.
In a statement the administrator said: "The remaining customers will become unsecured creditors of the company and can lodge a claim with the administrators, though a dividend is not expected.
"Customers will not receive goods ordered because the company's terms and conditions state that the customer does not take ownership of goods ordered until delivery or collection.
"Refunds will not be possible due to Empire Direct's lack of funds when it entered administration. Money paid by customers was put into the company's overdrawn bank account."
Potential buyers
Mark Firmin, joint administrator and KPMG restructuring partner, said: "The customer phone line we established on Tuesday has received a thousand calls a day from concerned customers and so I am very aware of how regrettable this situation is for many customers of Empire Direct.
"Those who have paid by card should contact their card provider to establish whether they are entitled to a refund." KPMG said no further staff had been made redundant since Monday and it had received 159 expressions of interest from potential purchasers ranging from major international businesses to corner shops. Empire Direct had been established for 25 years and marketed itself as the UK's largest independent retailer of electrical goods with a turnover of £150m.

Triker

Tried all these the 0870 gives a message all operators are busy try again later and cuts me off, the locally coded numbers just ring and ring and ring.


Empire Direct 0870 1201122 0113 2351770 Leeds Sales office
Also 0113 2094361
Also for 0870 1201130 & 0870 9016080 Empire Direct 0870 1201130 020 85063790 Chingford Electrical Warehouse Empire Direct 0870 1201122 01274 578000 Bradford - Sales
Shop = 01274 575000 Empire Direct 0870 1201130 0113 2351701 Leeds Electrical Warehouse Empire Direct 0870 1201130 01937 840530 Wetherby Electrical Warehouse
Also 01937 840533 Empire Direct Electrical Warehouse 0870 1201130 01332 545710 Derby
Also: 01332 545713 Empire Direct Electrical Warehouse 0870 1201130 01509 224933 Loughborough Empire Direct Electrical Warehouse 0870 1201130 01384 267580 Merry Hill (Dudley)
Also: 01384 267583 Empire Direct Electrical Warehouse 0870 1201130 01708 759790 Romford
Also: 01708 759793

laurenjade1402

hi empire direct have an outlet in yorkshire the phone no is 01937 840530, might be worth a try.

Dime_Bar

The website was cached by google at 15.59 by google can be seen here so they where "trading" then.

Did you have any look on the other numbers?

Triker

Gone into administration

Administrators went in at 4.30pm. Just got off phone, everyone lost their jobs.


So very sad for them all.

Administrators numbers given are 0871 4729000

0871 4729001

Dime_Bar

Had more numbers but has been answered above :-(

Has anyone spoke to the administrators?

savemoney

Oh dear thats horrible for the staff

cruella_de_vile

So many household names going, it really is quite worrying.

Poppy9

That is so awful for all the staff. Makes my problem of a worthless 3 year guarantee insignificant.

pen1

Mark Firmin and Richard Fleming from KPMG LLP were today appointed administrators to Empire Direct plc and its subsidiary company Empire Property (UK) Limited, at the request of the directors. ............
.............Low stock levels and operating losses mean the business cannot continue to trade in administration.

Full report from RetailBulletin:
http://www.theretailbulletin.com/news/administrators_appointed_to_empire_direct_plc_19-01-09/

pen1

More here, from KPMG:

“We are working hard with the remaining employees to establish a list of customers with outstanding orders and much of our immediate effort will be focused on communicating with them. Within the first few weeks of the administration, we are aiming to contact all customers who have paid for goods which they have not received. Customers can contact us using the dedicated email address which can be accessed via www.empiredirect.co.uk. Alternatively, customers can log their details with the call centre on 0871 472 9000.”

Full Press Release:
http://www.kpmg.co.uk/news/detail.cfm?pr=3325

I guess Empire Direct's website is in the process of being sorted and will have administration information on it eventually.