THERE are fears for jobs at a dry cleaning firm with outlets in Huddersfield, Brighouse and Ravensthorpe.
Johnson Service Group, the UK’s largest dry cleaning chain, is to axe more than a fifth of its stores this year in a move that will trigger hundreds of job losses.
Johnson said it will close 100 loss-making stores out of its 460 Johnson Cleaners outlets as part of a shake-up that will cost the company almost £24m.
The group, which has premises at Market Place in Huddersfield town centre, at the Shore Head Sainsbury’s supermarket, Commercial Street, Brighouse, and in Ravensthorpe, has not disclosed which outlets will close.
The group said a typical store has one full-time and two part-time employees.
There will also be cuts among back office and warehousing staff – suggesting that at least 300 jobs will go in total by the end of 2012.
Johnson has closed more than 50 outlets in recent years in the face of tough conditions on the high street.
The Cheshire-based group said the shops to be closed suffered like-for-like sales declines of 2.7% in the first half of 2012. Sales at the stores to escape the axe were “marginally positive”.
Executive chairman John Talbot said: “We believe that the measures we have taken will re-focus the group into a more streamlined and profitable business.
Johnson has been closing unprofitable high street stores and opening new sites such as its first drive-through cleaners at a former petrol station in Staffordshire.
The group reported strong trading at its textile rental arm and said its facilities management business, which maintains shops including the UK’s largest fashion group Arcadia – the operator of Topshop and BHS – had performed in-line with expectations.
