SHOP direct has given its 180 members of staff a welcome stay of execution while it tries to find a buyer to take over the business.
Earlier this month Shop Direct announced the closure of three of its UK call centres, with the devastating loss of 180 jobs at its Pryce Jones-based operation in Newtown.
The call centre was expected to close in June, but the firm has now announced it will remain open until December.
The announcement follows a meeting between Lembit Opik MP, Newtown Mayor Joy Jones, county councillor Richard White, USDAW representative David Johnson, and the firm’s chief executive Mark Newtown-Jones.
Mr Opik was delighted at the development and said he now hopes the firm is able to find a buyer.
He said: “I know some had given up hope for the location. But I was determined to work cooperatively with the firm and the union, USDAW, plus others to seek a solution which keeps the current site open.
"The efforts of USDAW should be regarded as central to this breakthrough and I give much of the credit to them. But the joint effort on all sides has succeeded. I’m grateful for the support of Government ministers, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, these efforts seem to have made a real difference to this good news.”
He added: “The meeting I organised at Shop Direct’s HQ in Speke with the firm, USDAW, me, Mayor Joy Jones and Councillor Richard White made me feel there was a way forward. That turns out to be the case. 180 jobs have been saved for now and it gives us the breathing space to sort out the situation and a permanent solution.”
Mayor Jones was also pleased at the stay of execution, she said: “Lembit and I have been working to find a way to stop all these jobs going from the town, which would have been a disaster.
"The fact they’ve said they will keep the site open for now is a great result. We’ve got to use the time available to make sure that we get the very best outcome for everyone in the longer term, and I think we can do that.
"It shows what can be done with a bit of positive thinking and a lot of negotiation. I was impressed when we met the managers up in Speke. They said they'd listen and they've lived up to their word.”
A former employee of the call centre said: “This is a great result for Newtown, Lembit and Joy Jones have obviously made a real difference here. Lembit asked me for advice and information about the call centre and I stressed just how important the call centre is to Newtown and he’s obviously taken this on board.
When they came to me, I did give them the info they wanted, but I doubted they could really change things. But the other two centres are still on a 90-day deadline, so it looks like something extra has happened here. They’ve done well.”