THOMSON is to close its direct businesses and relocate operations to Glasgow in a further upheaval at the troubled operator.
Portland Direct in Manchester and Thomson Direct in Birmingham will gradually be phased out and transferred to Scotland within 12 months.
It will lead to an undisclosed number of job losses at both operations which between them employ 160 staff. Its Manchester-based National Sales Office will be retained.
The restructure follows an exhaustive 18-month review of its direct businesses.
Sales director Manual Mascarenhas denied it was a cost-cutting exercise and stressed every effort will be made to retain staff.
He said some will take up 50 new positions at its NSO while the remainder will be invited to relocate to the new Glasgow call centre.
“It is hard to say how many will be made redundant,” said Mascarenhas. “But there are many opportunities within the Thomson group so we hope to keep job losses to a minimum.”
He said the review was prompted as staff at the current call centres find it difficult to focus on selling holidays.
“Staff at Thomson Direct and Portland Direct are being distracted from selling because they are also handling service calls from agents and customers,” he said. “We need environments that are conducive to selling. This is not about cost cutting but providing a more efficient call-centre operation for agents and customers.”
All service functions will relocate to the National Sales Office.
Initially, the new call centre will operate with 150 staff from temporary offices in Glasgow which will operate alongside those in Manchester and Birmingham. The operation will move topurpose-built premises, which will also house Lunn Poly Direct, by September.
Mascarenhas said staff will be offered performance-related pay and a loyalty bonus to remain in their roles during the transition.
Industry observers claimed the timing could not have been worse.
“Staff morale is already low and this will create more unrest,” said one. “No-one will have job security.”