Braintree district: Shops under threat as Thomas Cook announce closures (From Halstead Gazette)
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Braintree district: Shops under threat as Thomas Cook announce closures
12:37pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News
Braintree district: Shops under threat as Thomas Cook announce closures
Three Thomas Cook branches in the district are in jeopardy after the company announced it will axe 2,500 jobs nationwide.
Thomas Cook today announced plans to close 195 of its 1,069 high street stores in the UK.
The chain has town centre branches in New Street, Braintree, High Street, Halstead, and the Newlands Shopping Centre in Witham.
Staff at the affected stores have yet to be informed about the closures.
UK and Ireland CEO Peter Fankhauser said: "It is never easy to make decisions that impact directly on our people, but we also owe it to our customers to shape the business effectively.
“It is essential that we operate with the right number of people as we move forward into the next era for our company, allowing us to meet the future needs of our customers more effectively.
“We are in consultation with our Unions and employee representative bodies to minimise the impact of these changes and I am speaking personally to all employees today to provide information and support through this period of consultation."
