CARPHONE Warehouse has warned that 450 head office and support centre jobs are “at risk” of redundancy.
The retail chain and TalkTalk broadband operator said the cuts would not affect store workers and stressed that none of its outlets would close as a result of the move.
Carphone said it had begun consultation at its headquarters in west London and call centres in Preston, Warrington, and Wednesbury in the West Midlands.
It is hoped that many of the 450 roles will be switched to other areas of the business.
A Carphone spokesman said the cuts were part of a review of the business, adding: ““We announced in January that we would be undertaking a review of the business and aiming to make savings across the business. As part of that, 450 roles will be placed at risk.”
The proposed job cuts come amid other cost reductions for the group, including an energy saving drive and the cancellation of its annual party.
The spokesman said it was “far too early to say” how much money would be saved by the redundancies. He added the move would not affect plans for its partnership with US electronics firm Best Buy.
The company plans to open 100 Best Buy Europe stores by 2013, creating 1,000 UK jobs before March next year.
Carphone sold a 50% stake in its retail business to Best Buy for £1.1bn last year as it looked to enter the European market for the first time.
In January, the firm announced it would cut costs across the group as part of its goals for the year to March, 2010, “in light of the weaker trading conditions that we expect to continue throughout the coming year, and the uncertainty surrounding all companies in the current market conditions”.
Andy Kerr, deputy general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: “This is a shock announcement for Carphone Warehouse staff who had no consultation or prior knowledge of these job cuts.”
He said: “We now hope that the company will consult the union on implementation of the job losses to minimise the impact on workers.”
