This year is full of turmoil for Black Red White. On the one hand, the deteriorating financial situation, on the other – another recent change of owner, and in addition there are waves of reductions – because this one, announced for November and December, is by no means the first this year. Now The intention to carry out group layoffs was reported to the District Labor Office in Biłgoraj (the company's headquarters is located here). The first notification was received at the end of September, the next one, specifying that the layoffs would concern, among others, Biłgoraj and Zamość – at the end of October. Both production and administration employees will lose their jobs. This was confirmed to “Nowa Gazeta Biłgorajska” by Halina Bazan from PUP.
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Group layoffs at Black Red White. Restructuring and change of ownership
The reduction plan covers approximately 800 people out of almost 2.7 thousand. employed in the BRW capital group, as Andrzej Nawarol, chairman of the company's Solidarity trade union, told “Nowa Gazeta Biłgorajska”. The reason for this is the restructuring, modernization and liquidation plan of some units. The trade unionists received information about the layoffs, but they did not accept it and did not sign the layoff regulations. They will try to fight.
“We do not want the employer to fire anyone, although he has the right to do so and can do so. We are fighting for greater severance pay; the average age in this company, which has been on our market for over 30 years, is 49-50. These people created this company, if only because of these people, we did not sign the regulations,” Andrzej Nawarol tells Nowa Gazeta Biłgorajska. — “We believe that the president of Formela did not take over the company to close it,” he adds.
This is a reference to the ownership changes in the company. This summer, the Austrian company XXXLutz, which a few months ago took full control of the Polish furniture manufacturer Black Red White, withdrew from the investment. Shortly thereafter, an application to take over the company was submitted to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection by Dariusz Formela – an entrepreneur conducting business, among others, in the areas of rental of residential and commercial premises, furniture production, furniture retail sales. The application is awaiting a decision.
The Black Red White Group is one of the largest furniture manufacturers and sellers in Poland. It has 82 own stores (including 78 in Poland), a network of approximately 300 business partners (in Poland) and employs over 5,000. people. It is currently struggling with financial problems – 2024 ended with a loss of over PLN 130 million. Revenues decreased by 11%. At the beginning of this year, the company announced a layoff plan – a total of approximately 500 people lost their jobs, including over 200 employees of the plant in Przeworsk (Podkarpackie Voivodeship).
