The Citizen reports that sportswear retailer The Cross Trainer, owned and operated by the Frame family under Frame Leisure Trading, has voluntarily entered business rescue.

The family said the Covid lockdown restrictions were the beginning of the business’ difficult times and they have struggled to maintain payments to some of the 67 stores they own. George Nell from Corporate Business Rescue has been appointed as the business rescue practitioner. Nell said the hundreds of people employed by the retailer would not be affected by the business rescue process. However, former employees of the retailer said difficult times have already begun for them as they were not informed about the decision of the business being rescued. “People arrived at the shop and we were told the shop will close, then the next day we were told that we are being retrenched.” Another employee said she was told she was retrenched, however, when she went to claim her UIF money, she was told the system did not show she has been retrenched. Some of those who lost their jobs in April claimed they had not been paid in full. “We are not getting our money, and our boss never discussed with us that he would be paying our money bit by bit. We had to take him to the CCMA and the labour department where he made promises that he will give us our money.” Nell said they would look into the employees’ complaints while they found a way forward to get the Cross Trainer stores back on their feet.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tshehla Cornelius Koteli at The Citizen

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