A LONG-established carpet seller has gone out of business, potentially leaving some customers hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Bob Hughes Carpets, in Ringwood Road, Poole, is to be liquidated after being hit by falling sales. The family business was established in 1973.

Malcolm Bebb, of Poole, had paid the company around £400 before Christmas.

“We ordered the stuff from them about December 12, for delivery on December 19. They phoned us on December 19 and said there had been a problem with delivery and they would call us back,” he said.

“We had several goes at getting hold of them. They eventually said on Saturday January 3 they would sort it out and get back to us.

“Eventually, we went up there and there was a sign on the door saying they were closed and would be opening on January 7.”

He paid for his flooring by credit card so should be able to recover his payment.

Julie Palmer, regional managing partner with Begbies Traynor, which specialises in insolvency and corporate recovery, said the company was being placed into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.

She said her company was called in this week after offering the business advice before Christmas.

She said of the business: “It reached a turnover of £1m but that has been declining more recently because of an increase in the number of local competitors.”

The business had been hampered by lack of an internet presence.

“They lost ground to some of the other competitors in that space,” she added.

She said a creditors’ meeting would be held in the next couple of weeks.

“If any customers have left deposits or purchased with credit cards, they might well have a call against their credit card company,” she added.