9:00am Monday 24th October 2011
By Scott D'Arcy
A COURIER firm is planning to close its depot in Swindon, putting 50 jobs at risk.
Parcel delivery giant Yodel announced to staff last week that it was looking to streamline its operations and was proposing to close 45 service centres across the country, resulting in redundancies.
One of those earmarked for closure is the company’s service centre, in Kelvin Road, Greenbridge.
The firm has said the move is being planned for early next year and is to enable the business to operate profitably while responding to the demands of its customers.
Employees are being consulted on an individual basis about the changes.
A spokesman for the firm said: “Yodel has announced details of the plans to complete the move to a single operating platform that will enable the company to operate profitably.
“This strategy is designed to meet customer-driven demand for faster, more flexible delivery options and higher standards of convenience.
“As part of these plans Yodel is proposing to close the Swindon service centre during quarter one of 2012. This will put approximately 50 employees at risk of redundancy.
“Yodel is working closely with colleagues across the business to ensure a smooth transition and to make sure that all of our colleagues are fully informed and presented with all the relevant options available to them.”
Jonathan Smith, chief executive of the company, said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We have to make these changes to meet the needs of our customers and create a sustainable and profitable business model. We have been running two operational networks since early 2010 with limited flexibility and have now concluded the planning to move to one operation.”
Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, said he was disappointed to hear about the threatened closure.
“It’s extremely disappointing that we will be losing these 50 jobs due to relocation,” he said.
“But it is in stark contrast to the current situation which has seen Swindon weathering the challenging economic times robustly.
“Hopefully Swindon will be able to build on the recent record export levels and bounce back in retail sales.”
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