Argos to close its Magna Park warehouse operation

UP TO 700 jobs are at risk after Argos announced it is closing its warehouse at Magna Park near Lutterworth.

The national retailer told staff last Tuesdayit planned to close its distribution centre and relocate services to Kettering, Northamptonshire.

At least 400 full-time staff and 300 agency workers will be affected.

Bosses at Argos said it is offering workers the opportunity to transfer to the new site, which is 25 miles away.

A spokesman said: “As our business continues to grow, so does the need to increase capacity within our distribution network.

“Our Magna Park distribution centre is almost 25 years old and has reached capacity so we are proposing to transfer operations to nearby Kettering at the end of 2017.

“This will ensure we can continue to service our stores and offer our customers the best possible service.

“We will look to redeploy as many colleagues as possible with the majority of roles moving to the new site.

“We appreciate this will be a difficult time for affected colleagues and will fully support them.”

But Unite union said the job transfer plan is a “slap in the face” for the workforce and a “blow” to the local economy.

It said “questions need to be asked as to whether employees will be forced to transfer from Magna Park or be offered a redundancy package, if they are unable or unwilling to travel to the new site.”

Paresh Patel, Unite regional coordinating officer, said: “This announcement has created a period of uncertainty for our members, despite repeated reas- surances from Argos last year that there were no plans to change any of the operations at the Magna Park site.

“The news is a slap in the face for a long-established and loyal workforce and it is also a blow for the local economy.

“Unite wants to scrutinise these proposals to determine whether Argos’ rationale behind this decision stacks up.

“Unite is committed to securing the jobs, and terms and conditions of those employees who currently work at Magna Park and who may wish to remain with Argos.

“While it is 25 miles from Lutterworth to Kettering along the A14, many of our members live to the north, south and west of Lutterworth, so what is seen as a journey of about an hour one-way could be considerably longer along one of the country’s busiest and most dangerous roads.”