How a new IT system spelled the end for Carpetright

The bankrupt flooring company Carpetright has suffered tens of millions of euros in losses in recent years, according to the bankruptcy report by the receivers. Carpetright was a multinational company from Great Britain with 75 shops in the Netherlands, 274 in England and 16 in Belgium. On 19 September 2025, the company was declared bankrupt in the Netherlands, after it had already been taken over by a competitor in England.

What went wrong?

According to the receivers, the main cause was the introduction of a new software system. This system caused significant discrepancies between the recorded and invoiced turnover. Some transactions were counted twice, resulting in the actual turnover being lower than expected. Payments to the tax authorities were postponed in the hope that the problem was temporary, but unfortunately this proved not to be the case.

An attempt was made to save the company through a WHOA procedure, intended for viable companies with high debts. But the financial situation was too dire. In 2022, Carpetright made a loss of €518,000 on a turnover of €73 million. A year later, the loss rose to €17.5 million, followed by a negative result of €10.5 million on a turnover of €75 million and €70 million respectively.

Source: AccountantWeek editorial team