16,000 shop staff facing threat of axe
UP to 14,000 Debenhams’ jobs and 2,000 at Marks & Spencer may be lost in the latest high street cull.
Plans are reportedly being drawn up to liquidate Debenhams, which has 124 stores.
Retail winding- down specialists Hilco Capital has been appointed to suggest proposals unless a buyer is found in weeks.
The Debenhams’ job cuts would surpass the proposed 12,000 redundancies at British Airways.
Up to 2,000 jobs are expected to go at M&S in the home and clothing teams at head office. Last month it revealed 950 staff were being axed in the first wave of a shake-up.
An M& S spokesman said: “When we have an announcement to make our colleagues will be the first to know.”
Debenhams had already announced some 2,500 redundancies this week but said it was looking at ways “to exit its protective administration”.
Experts predict 250,000 redundancies across UK high streets thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown.