The Floor Room, which operates 34 John Lewis stores, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, resulting in the loss of around 200 jobs.

The company was only formed last year when partners were acquired by John Lewis. It was owned by Nestware, which also controlled Carpetright. The collapse of the latter led to the collapse of The Floor Room, which used Carpetright’s infrastructure.

Former partners of John Lewis expressed anger and disappointment at this development so soon after the launch of The Floor Room and also because they were not entitled to the benefits they would have been entitled to had they lost their jobs during their time as partners at John Lewis.

A John Lewis spokesperson told Retail Week that the company would offer jobs to former The Floor Room partners where possible and would also provide them with other practical support, such as CV writing.

The spokesperson said: “We are committed to helping former partners who moved to The Floor Room when they opened their concessions with us. We are already in contact with them to discuss what support they need to find new employment or any other help we can offer, such as access to our wellbeing services.”

John Lewis said it would act as a “safety net” for customers who lost money as a result of The Floor Room’s collapse. The retailer said customers should initially contact insolvency practitioner PwC, who will advise them on options such as refunds through credit card companies or financial services providers.

However, “for customers who do not have these options available, we will act as a safety net to ensure they get their money back.” John Lewis said it would be “there to support (customers) every step of the way.”