Jim Penman’s plan to rescue sacked Godfreys workers

Days after the collapse of famous vacuum retailer Godfreys, lawn mowing mogul Jim Penman has come to the rescue of hundreds of sacked workers.

Godfreys collapsed into administration in late January 2024.

Lawn mowing mogul Jim Penman has thrown a lifeline to sacked Godfreys workers after the 93-year-old cleaning business went bust.

Jim’s Cleaning Group, one of the biggest divisions as part of Jim’s Group, is offering every axed staffer from the vacuum cleaner retail chain a free franchise worth up to $35,000 each.

Almost 200 workers are set to lose their jobs after the iconic business went into voluntary administration, with administrator Craig Crosbie citing a “lower customer demand amid cost of living pressures, higher operating costs, and increased competition”.

The retail chain will continue trading while it undergoes an urgent restructure, resulting in the closure of 54 stores and the loss of 193 staff over the next two weeks.

More than 50 Godfreys stores will close and 193 workers will lose their jobs in the next fortnight Picture: Jessica Dempster

As the job hunt begins for many, Mr Penman, chief executive of Jim’s Mowing, has come to the rescue, offering the employees a chance to run the show themselves.

“It’s obviously very sad for people to lose their job, their workmates. Some of these workers have been at Godfreys for decades,” he said.

“They’re great people and very good workers, so we’re excited about offering them their own franchise.

Jim Penman has offered sacked Godfreys workers a lifeline. Picture: Supplied

Mr Penman said his business had grown by about 40 per cent since the pandemic when Jim’s Mowing went to war with the Andrews government over lockdowns.

“We have more demand for our service than we can meet and these are high calibre workers, so it’s a win-win,” he said.

Founder and head of the Jim’s Cleaning Group Haydar Hussein said Godfreys had previously been the first to stock the brand’s new cleaning products – and they hadn’t forgotten it.

“We’ve been shopping at Godfrey’s for over 10 years, we’ve got personal relationships with the staff and we’re currently experiencing astronomical growth,” he said.

“We work with hospitals, aged care facilities, corporates, government, schools, all types of businesses as well as providing services to households and we cannot get enough people to do the work.”

Mr Hussein said the business was looking to bring them on as soon as possible.

“Sooner the better,” he said

Originally published as Jim Penman’s plan to rescue sacked Godfreys workers