Jobs to go as Yellow Pages firm Hibu plans Manchester closure

AROUND 130 jobs are set to be lost at Hibu, the firm behind Yellow Pages and online directory yell, with the closure of a telesales and customer service operation in Manchester.

Staff based at the Venus Building next to the Trafford Centre were informed of the proposed changes on Monday. The company is also set to close an operation in Glasgow as part of a cost-cutting exercise being implemented by a new management team following a major debt restructuring and de-lisiting last year.

In a statement the company said its focus is on its digital business as its growth platform for its small business customers.

A statement said: “hibu is building a new, highly competitive digital business, while also working to manage our well-established core directories business in line with market opportunities.

“To help achieve these goals we have initiated a new programme of proposed cost efficiencies and savings as part of our ongoing restructuring to ensure a sustainable, valuable business. The programme supports our focus on business operations, initiatives and underlying sales approaches that give the greatest long-term potential and that strongly position us for accelerating digital growth.

“Regrettably, as part of this process we anticipate a reduction in our overall workforce, primarily through the reduction and consolidation both of our UK telesales and our customer services roles, with a proposed increase in operational activity within our overseas locations.

“Formal consultation has started on proposals to end our Manchester telesales prospecting operation, concentrating the activity in Belfast. In addition, formal consultation is underway over proposals to end our customer services operation in Manchester.”