Shop Direct is to axe 1,500 jobs at three of its call centres following a drop in phone sales.
The company said 900 jobs will be lost at its site in Sunderland. The plants in Burnley and Newtown in Wales will also close.
In a statement, Shop Direct said that it had been left with overcapacity in its call centres as more people were now using the internet and that 60 per cent of its business was now done online. 19 million calls taken in its contact centres last year, compared with 33 million calls four years ago.
Chief executive Mark Newton-Jones said: “We recognise that this is a very difficult time for those teams affected by the proposed contact centre closures. We are working closely with the trade unions to help staff through the consultation process and support them in finding future employment.”Over the past five years, the proportion of our online sales has grown from 18% to account for over 60% of our business today resulting in excess capacity and space in our contact centres. We are a strong and growing business and we need to adapt to reflect the way our customers choose to shop with us.”
www.warren-knight.com thanks RetailBulletin