The owner of an American furniture company, who apparently “disappeared” after firing 2,700 employees over text and email last month, was reportedly lying low to try to save face. He has now resurfaced and termed the events as "agonising". All employees of United Furniture Industries were fired in a single night, with immediate effect, just days before Thanksgiving on November 21.
David Belford resurfaced weeks later after the sackings at furniture factories in Mississippi, North Carolina and California and spoke to a local publication claiming he was “devastated by the turn of events”, the New York Post reported.
Some insiders claim that the Ohio-based businessman has been quietly assisting a wind-down of the business, taken an active but quiet role in the liquidation and even rehired a handful of employees.
In another interview, Belford seemed to shrug off the blame and claimed he was a “passive investor” and that his insight into the company’s finances was limited.
Read more: Businessman ‘disappears’ after firing 2,700 employees over text
After the shocking mass layoffs, Belford had reportedly gone incommunicado and sources said he was not receiving calls as well.
“No one has heard from the owner. He’s not returning anyone’s phone calls. It’s such a horrible situation,” one source with knowledge of the situation told The Post.
The multi-millionaire had fired all employees over text messages and emails informing them they had been laid off with immediate effect. Reports say debt had been piling on the company.
Some former employees of the United Furniture Industries claimed that the businessman had flown to Paris after axing thousands of workers.
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