Ceramic Tile Warehouse in Kirkcaldy has suddenly closed, with the loss of all jobs.
Staff at the Fife store have made “great efforts” to inform customers the shop was going out of business on Friday.
No statement has been forthcoming after The Courier approached the firm about the closure, which appears to have taken customers and staff by surprise.
One member of staff, who asked not to be named, confirmed the store would be closed by “end of play” Friday and that the main priority was telling customers of the imminent closure.
There is no mention of the company’s shutdown on the firm’s website, which as of Friday afternoon was still operational.
Ceramic Tile Warehouse closes suddenly
Members of the public were still in the Park Road store on Thursday afternoon, while staff made their arrangements.
One member of staff told The Courier they were “still working through orders” for existing customers.
It follows events earlier this year after CTD plunged into administration and then insolvency.
They were different companies, but CTD had operated out of the former Ceramic Tile Warehouse on Dundee’s Clepington Road.
Tayside and Fife business connections
Ceramic Tile Warehouse had a long association with Tayside and Fife.
Catchy jingles regularly played on local radio stations like Wave 102 and Kingdom FM, recognised by thousands of listeners, where “inspiration comes in boxes”.
And the company logo adorned the shirts of Dundee FC players in the early 2000s, when stars like World Cup hero Claudio Canigia and the Bonetti brothers turned out for the Dark Blues.
The firm was set-up by the late James Miller.
He was a self-employed tiler to trade, who opened his first showroom in Kirkcaldy in 1986.
In the early 1990s he created the Ceramic Tile Clearance Warehouse.
He then launched the Ceramic Tile Warehouse, which expanded and had shops throughout Scotland, and also later established Tile Style.
Mr Miller passed away after an illness in 2011.
The Dees signed a six-figure deal in 1999 which saw the firm’s logo emblazoned front and centre on the Xara-made home, away and goalkeeper shirts.
Ceramic Tile Warehouse had a store on Clepington Road in Dundee, which opened in 1996.
The firm once had showrooms in Dundee, Perth, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Leith, employing around 50 staff.
It was known for its “pile ’em high, sell ’em low” pricing strategy, which saw orders sent as far afield as Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Ceramic Tile Warehouse was approached for comment.
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