Confetti.co.uk – Manchester based company – falls into administration on Friday 13th, just 24 hours after owners The Hut Group bought iwantoneofthose.com for £600,000.
Panicky brides-to-be turned to their wedding forum for help after it emerged that Confetti – online retailer selling wedding paraphernalia ranging from dresses to tiaras and insurance – had collapsed into administration with more than 1,000 orders still waiting to be processed.
RSM Tenon, the administrators, are “urgently” looking for a buyer for the lost-making website, which has nearly eight million users and annual sales close to £6 million.
One worried bride, Laura Dewar from Ayrshire, complained of being “kept in the dark” about her £150 order. “We are on a tight budget and the staff couldn’t answer my questions.”
And last night it was reported that administrators would honour the 1,100 orders on the system, however they could not be reached for confirmation. All wedding insurance bought through the site is handled by a third party so the policies are unaffected.
The failure of Confetti was a huge shock to the staff who were highly optimistic about the company’s future after it was sold along with the website “I Want One of Those” to the The Hut Group – an online retailer that runs websites for store groups such as Tesco and Argos – for £600,000 last week.
The business was previously owned by Findel – the quoted home shopping company – who claim they didn’t know anything about the new owner’s plans to appoint administrators the day after it took control.
RSM Tenon has already close five of the Confetti stores, which included a large store on London’s Tottenham Court Road, and made 48 of its 94 staff redundant.
The speculation and lack of communication with customer and staff resulted in anxious posts on the Confetti chat forums as worried brides and grooms to be talked about their concern over the missing items ranging from bridesmaid’s dresses to purple topiary trees as well as personalised chocolates.
RSM Tenon has set a closing date of next Monday for the Manchester business which was founded in 1999 as well as a previous winner of the ‘Bes Wedding Website’ category in the BT Online Excellent Awards.
“Confetti is a very high profile market-leading brand and enjoys a large customer base,” said RSM Tenon director Kenny Craig, adding that it offered an “outstanding opportunity” for an entrepreneur or retailer.
“We would urge interested parties to make contact in the next day or two to ensure they have a chance to bid for the business,” he said.
For wedding ideas visit WeddingForum.co.uk the online wedding forum where you can speak to fellow brides and grooms as well as suppliers and retailers to find information and advice about planning your big day.
If you are searching for the ideal wedding attire for your special day, but don’t have the finances then we at WeddingForum.co.uk have put together a few helpful tips to help you save money but look just as beautiful on the big day.
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