‘Heartbroken’: Brutal text sent to staff as company collapses

A major family business has been forced to close after 30 years, with staff learning they no longer had jobs during an all-staff meeting.

EXCLUSIVE

About 140 people across Australia have been immediately sacked following the sudden collapse of Australia’s largest distributor of second-hand office furniture.

Staff at furniture company Egans received a text message on Friday morning telling them to attend a compulsory all-staff meeting, where they were told they no longer had jobs.

“Notice of important company announcement,” the text message read.

“Do not go to job site first.”

In a statement to news.com.au, Director Andrew Egan said the company had faced “pervasive cost increases” and a “revenue slump” which was affecting “every business in Australia”.

The company has staff across NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

Director of Egans, Andrew Egan. Picture: YouTube

“Egans is a family business that has been developing a worlds (sic) best practice circular economy model for 30 years,” Mr Egan said in his statement.

“Universities and corporations across Australia have adopted our model and are devastated by todays news.

“Our staff have worked on this data-backed, fully resolved model for many decades. Like us, they are heartbroken.

Staff had no prior knowledge of the company’s closure. Picture: Supplied

Mr Egan said that his company had saved two million kilograms of office furniture through their approach.

“Given there is no alternate model in the market, this is as difficult for our customers as it is for our staff.

“Our thoughts go out to the 140 staff and their families who are affected by this.”
Staff had no warning about the collapse and were only first told about the decision to close the business during the all-staff meeting.

Egans’ main company website has already been scrubbed from the internet.

Egans provided office fit-outs, disposal, storage and transportation of office furniture.

It provided office equipment for the likes of the SA Government, the Fair Work Ombudsman and Adelaide University.

Originally published as ‘Heartbroken’: Brutal text sent to staff as company collapses