Doncaster bosses step in to keep their firm running, but without pay

Some 90 per cent of the workforce at Gala Tent are now working from home, isolated or on furlough, so management team members have taken the initiative to keep the company stable and operational and are running the distribution centre.

Mark Thompson, chief executive officer, said: “We currently employ about 30 staff members, this has been reduced on site to four. The sales team, developers, designers are all now working from home preparing for the comeback.

“It looks like we still have a service to offer in these uncertain times, and we are still seeing orders for our structures for a myriad of uses. We’ve been able to help out with shelters for the emergency services and medical spaces, as well as to home-bound clients for extra space to allow for more activities while remaining indoors.”

The Gala managers are now operating the warehouse and making sure orders are still delivered on time.

Andrew Scott, company director, said: “While it’s obviously a terrible time for everybody right now, there’s a nostalgia to us all working the warehouse again. Jason, Mark and I were all at Gala from the start up in 1999 and have worked in every department as the company has grown over the last 20 years, so we all don’t mind getting stuck in again.”

Jason Mace, managing director, said, “The warehouse is 60,000 sq feet, so we can easily ensure social distancing measures enforced by the government are being adhered to.

“We have also made a management decision not to pay ourselves until the pandemic is over, because the company simply cannot afford this, and the staff wages are priority right now.”

In other news, leading specialised payments platform Paysafe Group has announced a partnership with Gala’s sister company Gala Technology, which is behind the multi-award winning 'Cardholder Not Present' payment solution, SOTpay.

SOTpay enables cardholders to complete secure remote transactions, while remaining in control of their sensitive card information on their personal device.