You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
British Bookshops has opened a consultation period with its staff about possible redundancies at the retailer.
The Bookseller revealed last month that c.e.o. John Simpson, who was parachuted in to turnaround the business after it was taken over by private equity firm Endless, refused to rule out possible staff cuts as part of a wider review of the business.
He also declined to comment on how many staff could lose their jobs. Last month, 30 jobs in the south east England retail chain's head office and warehouse were cut. British Bookshops employs just over 600 staff.
Simpson said: "A lot of our staff are part-time, so if we can manage hours carefully we may not have to cut as many staff. However, until we have got things sorted and know the options we can take, I don't want to predict how many people we will cut."
He added he was not planning to close any stores and the business review was in its closing stages. "We do have a business model that could be rolled out," he said. "The majority of the stores are profitable and we have a good chance of making it work."
Endless took over British Bookshops in May from Irish chain Eason for an undisclosed sum. It operates 39 stores across the south east of England.