Lifeline for hundreds of Godfreys workers laid off as iconic company closes down

The founder of Jim’s Mowing is throwing a lifeline to the employees of another iconic company after it went bankrupt, leaving them out of work.

Jim Penman has offered every laid-off staffer at bankrupt vacuum cleaner store Godfreys a free franchise in his Jim’s Cleaning Group worth $35,000 each.

Godfreys went into voluntary administration this week and will continue to trade while the company is urgently restructured – but 54 stores will close and 193 staff will lose their jobs.

‘It is of course very sad that people lose their jobs and their colleagues. Some of these employees have been with Godfreys for decades,” said Mr. Penman, CEO of Jim’s Mowing The Herald Sun.

“They are great people and very good workers, so we are excited to offer them their own franchise.”

Vacuum cleaner company Godfreys was left ‘exposed’ because it is a ‘niche retailer’, a consumer behavior expert has said, after the company fell into administration

Mr Penman was embroiled in a feud with ex-Victorian Prime Minister Dan Andrews during the Covid lockdowns over why his employees – who were doing garden work and isolated from anyone else – were not allowed to do their work.

He said his business has spiked after he revolted against the former prime minister.

“We have more demand for our services than we can fill and these are high caliber employees, so it’s a win-win situation,” he said.

Jim’s Cleaning Group boss Haydar Hussein said that when the company launched a new cleaning range, Godfrey’s had been the first to stock it and he was looking forward to repaying the goodwill.

He added that in addition to cleaning homes, the company also does commercial jobs, including offices, aged care facilities, schools and government buildings, and is struggling to find workers to meet demand.

Mr Hussein said all Godfreys employees who wish to take up the offer are welcome and “the sooner the better”.