700 jobs to be axed with Shop Direct call centre closures

Two North West call centres are to close within the next two years with the loss of 700 jobs, according to the sites’ operator Webhelp.

A call centre in Bolton will shut in 2016, while a second in Aintree will close in 2017.

Webhelp has said that the sites, which are run for Liverpool-headquartered online retailer Shop Direct, are shutting down due to a “realigning” of operations to other locations in the UK and South Africa.

The French-owned company’s chief executive, David Turner, said it worked with unions and employees to find a solution to save both call centres.

He continued: “Unfortunately, we have been unable to agree a commercially viable way of doing that.

“However, we have been able to make some modifications to the original proposal and I would like to thank the union for their hard work to get us to this point.”

Mr Turner added: “We are committed to doing everything we can to support colleagues during this difficult time.”

The Usdaw union called the decision “morally bankrupt”, according to Sky News, and revealed plans to hold a vote with its members to gauge the appetite for industrial action.

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