Victorian Plumbing to Hand Back Furlough Payments Made to Staff via Job Retention Scheme

11th December 2020

More companies are repaying money to the government at this difficult time if they have not seen the difficulties they thought would come at the start of the pandemic.

Here is one way down south from us but deserves a mention for their ethics and right thinking.

Merseyside-based bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing announces that they will repay all furlough payments claimed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

After a highly successful year, the bathroom specialists will return the money granted to them earlier this year, to support the government and their efforts in aiding the country's recovery. The retailer hasn't received any other form of relief or support from the government during the last year.

Back in March, the company had no choice but to furlough staff to allow a safe and socially distanced working environment within their Formby-based headquarters.

Chairman of Victorian Plumbing, Mark Radcliffe, said: "We have just completed a very successful year and now that we have more of an understanding of the impact of Covid, we felt it right to review the support we received in the early part of the year, and we have made the decision to repay this in full. We hope this sets an example for other businesses that have been lucky enough to continue trading during the pandemic."

The bathroom retailer follows in the footsteps of Aldi, Tesco and IKEA who have also made pledges to repay the government aid given to them during the pandemic.

Mark added: "During the pandemic, we unfortunately had to furlough a number of our staff, purely based on the fact we could not house them safely within our office space at the time. This wasn't a decision we wanted to make, but the health of our employees has remained at the forefront over this last year.

"Once the government published the Covid-safe guidelines, we invested heavily in creating space to be able to bring people back to work with all social distancing guidelines followed."

With business increasing in recent months, the company is currently investing in a huge recruitment drive, as well as a new warehouse in Skelmersdale.

Mark continues: "Following a difficult few months earlier this year, we're thrilled to be able to announce that we're on the hunt for some new talent to join the team. We're really excited to extend the Victorian Plumbing family and be in a strong position moving into 2021."

Its a long way from Caithness but in case you are looking for employment reading this in the south or thinking about moving.

View job vacancies at Victorian Plumbing here: https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/careers

Victorian Plumbing (Victorian; like the era, not Victoria; like the Spice Girl) is a leading retailer of bathrooms online. From their headquarters based in Liverpool, UK, they sell a huge range of modern and traditional bathroom products on our online store as well as in our showroom. They have come a long way from their humble beginnings, and are now one of the largest bathroom retailers in the UK.