Sir Philip Green ‘paid out £2million in bonuses to top employees’ as BHS went bust

SIR Philip Green paid out more than £2million in bonuses to staff at BHS as the company folded, it was claimed last night.

The tycoon’s Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop, said it made the special payments to key employees so they would stay on until a buyer for the struggling firm was found.

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A probe by the BBC found 200 staff at BHS HQ got the money.

But it claims they only received the payments, dubbed a “Philip bonus”, after no buyer emerged.

BHS collapsed into administration in late April this year.

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On June 2 it was announced no buyer had been found and staff were told 11,000 jobs would go.

It is claimed workers at the London head office were told the same day that they would receive the payments.

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It is understood the money was not included in salary payslips but transferred into employees’ bank accounts.

Ex-BHS chief exec Darren Topp clarified the payments in a letter released by Arcadia last night.

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It said: “Keeping head office employees was critical to our ability to sell the business whole and run the business short term.

"To stem the tide of resignations I, in conjunction with the administrator, sought funds from Arcadia to offer payments to the Head Office team.”