SINGLE mother Rebecca Ghattas has been left in shock and wondering how she is going to feed her three young children after losing her role as a representative with Avon.
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She is among 21,400 reps in Australia, and 220 staff in Australia and New Zealand, who have been impacted by the multinational pulling out of its operations down under.
And the worse thing, Ms Ghattas says, is that the company did not have the courtesy to give its reps and staff any warning.
“It came completely out of left field, there was no notice,” she said.
“I’m in shock and then I’m angry and I wonder how I’m going to feed the kids.
“It was my livelihood and now it’s gone.”
Being an Avon rep was Ms Ghattas’ full time job for the past seven years as she also acts as a leader to more than 200 other Avon reps across Australia.
For many people Avon was not an “on the side” opportunity, but a real way to earn an income.
“Some of the top leaders were earning around $100,000,” Ms Ghattas said.
She said Avon was no longer “little old ladies knocking on the door” but a thriving company that had gone way past loungeroom party sales pitches.
Ms Ghattas said Avon gave her the “perfect job” that allowed her to fit work in around raising her three young children.
“I thought they were great, I really did. I thought they were there for me,” she said.
Another Bathurst rep for Avon, Dusanka Bijelic, found out the news on Facebook before she saw the email.
“I still can’t believe it, I still think they’re going to turn it around,” she said.
I’m in shock and then I’m angry and I wonder how I’m going to feed the kids.
- Rebecca Ghattas
“[But] I’m lucky because I have a full time job so this was just on the side.”
Ms Bijelic will continue to trade until May 2.
“I want to help my customers and they want to stock up,” she said.
For Kristine Johnston, another Bathurst Avon rep, the news was a “bit of a shock”, but she had planned to leave the company soon.
“It would have been nice to get an email before with a warning saying they might pull out,” she said.
Avon’s statement to the public said the decisions was made to help return Avon to long-term sustainable profitable growth.
“The focus will be on markets with the greatest potential for future growth to support its vision of becoming the world’s leading social beauty company,” the statement said.
Since 1996, Avon has raised $12.5 million for the Breast Cancer Trials through the sale of targeted merchandise.