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Grattan to axe 1,000 jobs - 3,800 'at risk'
A THOUSAND jobs are to go in Bradford at the ailing home shopping giant Grattan, the Yorkshire Post has learned.
Grattan yesterday warned its entire 3,800-strong workforce that their jobs were at risk.
Bosses refused to confirm how many redundancies there will be under "wide-ranging proposals" to restructure the business from top to bottom. But the Yorkshire Post understands that the group is preparing to cut about 1,000 staff from its Bradford headquarters.
The announcement was made on another miserable day for the region's economy, with fellow Yorkshire companies Fenner and Hammonds Direct both announcing job losses.
Familiar names also making redundancies include international pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, banking giant Barclays, 200-year-old manufacturer Denby Pottery and failed music, DVD and games retailer Zavvi.
Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH), whose brands include Freemans, Grattan and Kaleidoscope, employs 3,000 people in Bradford and another 800 in Sheffield, Peterborough and London.
The company said in a statement yesterday that all its employees had been informed that their jobs could be affected.
"This emphatically does not mean that all jobs will become redundant, although, following consultation, the restructuring and streamlining necessary to bring the business back to profit is expected to have a significant impact on levels of employment across all departments," it added.
The company, which has been losing money for years, is to begin a 90-day consultation on the proposals with trade unions Usdaw and Unite, with redundancies expected to be announced gradually from April.
FGH chief executive officer Koert Tulleners said: "Until consultations are complete we are not in a position to comment or speculate on numbers of jobs and I know this will be a worrying time for colleagues.
"We have very loyal staff, customers and agents and the best and most secure outcome we can all work towards is to return FGH to profitability by the end of 2010." Usdaw national officer David Johnson said staff were "shocked and distressed" by the news as "no-one could have predicted the scale of this announcement".
"Many of the staff have worked for Grattan for a long time and also there are many different family generations who work for the company," he said.
"They are a very hard-working and extremely loyal workforce. It really is a bitter blow to Bradford and the surrounding area." Regional development agency Yorkshire Forward is to work with Bradford Council and local skills providers to help those made redundant back into work.
Yorkshire Minister Rosie Winterton said: "Any loss of jobs is very regrettable. It is hugely disappointing for the people and their families who may be affected.
"Although unemployment is rising, the Government will do all that it can to support people through tough times and will not sit by and do nothing." More than 200 jobs could go at Bradford-based property conveyancing firm Hammonds Direct, and Hull conveyor belt manufacturer Fenner yesterday announced it will cut 290 posts, mainly in the United States.
Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe added: "These figures are not just statistics; it's a tragedy for every person who loses their job." Despite the gloom, Business Minister Baroness Vadera said she could see a few "green shoots" of economic recovery as the Government unveiled a multi-billion-pound rescue package aimed at unblocking lending to smaller firms.
But she said she was not predicting the end of the current downturn.
Are you a Grattan employee who has been told your job is at risk? Contact the Yorkshire Post newsdesk on 0113 238 8427, or email yp.newsdesk@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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