Hundreds of Black Country mobile phones workers face the axe

UP to 500 jobs in the Black Country could be under threat after plans by retailer Dixons Carphone to restructure its operation.

The company is proposing to close its large depot in Wednesbury and merge its distribution operation with a site in Newark in Nottinghamshire.

Staff at Wednesbury are being offered the chance to relocate but in all probably few will as they would be faced by a round trip journey of close to 100 miles.

The restructure follows the merger of Dixons with Carphone Warehouse last year.

The move has been condemned by the Communication Workers Union, which is set to debate the matter at its national conference.

The union said the majority of workers at the Bilston Road depot were on low salaries and any relocation did not make economic sense.

Workers at the site are understood to have been fearing the mews ever since the merger of the two companies was announced.

Dixons Carphone has said it is working with staff to try and minimise the impact of the closure.

The company said the restructure was designed to make its operation more efficient.

The closure comes against the backdrop of a radical restructuring of the Dixons Carphone European operation.

Already this month the company has announced the disposal of its 83% stake in Dutch business, The Phone House Netherlands and the disposal of its interest in The Phone House in Germany.

Sebastian James, Dixons Carphone Group chief executive, said: “This is another step in our clear strategic plan to focus on our core retail business in markets where we have scale and real relevance to customers, whilst growing through service partnerships in the wider international arena.”