A total of 48 jobs have been lost at former Warrington-based Dawsons Music after it went into administration for a second time.
Following the closure of their Warrington store in 2019 Dawsons Music & Sound, which was founded in Warrington more than 120 years ago, continued trading online and via six retail stores in Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Leeds, Reading and Belfast.
Earlier this month Administrators were appointed and immediately part of the company’s business and assets was sold to Arranged Musical Options Ltd.
As a result the business will continue to trade from one store in Chester, as well as retaining a warehouse facility in Haydock.
Eighteen members of staff have transferred to Arranged Musical Options Ltd as part of the sale but due to the closure of its remaining operations, 48 members of staff have been made redundant on the appointment of the joint administrators Neil Morley and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory.
Interpath said tough trading conditions made worse by the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the high street footfall and supply issues had impacted the business.
As a matter of priority, Interpath said the joint administrators will be providing these employees with the support and information they need to be able to make claims from the Redundancy Payments Office.
The business was founded in 1898 by piano tuner John Dawson and has had a major presence from its Sankey Street HQ, since 1914.
It was family-owned until 1980 when it was purchased by David Briggs MBE, and expanded to nine stores with branches in Altrincham, Bangor, Belfast, Chester, Huddersfield, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading.
In 2010, Briggs was appointed Lord Lieutenant for Cheshire by Her Majesty the Queen. In 2011, Mark Taylor was appointed MD.
