A shopping call centre closure that would have led to a loss of 180 jobs has been delayed for six months.
Shop Direct announced in January that as many as 1,500 jobs will be cut as it shuts its centres in Sunderland and Brunley, and in Newtown, Powys, mid Wales.
The Newtown operation was scheduled to be closed by end-June, but discussions with Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) and local MP Lembit Opik has led to an extension in the closure deadline until December this year.
A Shop Direct spokeswoman said: “Shop Direct Group can confirm that the proposed closure date for the Newtown Contact Centre has been extended to the end of December 2010 to allow time to investigate further options with third parties for avoiding redundancies at Newtown.
“This extension was agreed following meetings between Shop Direct Management, USDAW, local MP Lembit Öpik and Newtown Mayor Joy Jones.”
The company, previously known as Littlewoods Home Shopping, had announced redundancies earlier citing the growth of online shopping as the key factor reducing telephone orders. It employs around 9,000 people.
It stakes claims to being the country’s largest online and home shopping retailer with sales of £1.7 billion.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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