A national distribution centre for the department store Fortnum and Mason is relocating – and the move could affect up to 90 East Cambridgeshire jobs.
The company that runs the site at the Elean Business Park, in Sutton, has confirmed its operations supporting the luxury brand are moving to larger premises in Northamptonshire.
An email sent to staff, iForce said: “Fortnum and Mason have experienced significant growth over the past five years.
“Due to this continued success and the associated increase in operational requirements, it has become necessary to relocate the Fortnum and Mason operations to larger premises, suitable to accommodate this growth and optimise operations.
“Fortnum and Mason have expressed their gratitude for the commitment and dedication that iForce employees have contributed to their success, and as such, they are committed to working with iForce into the future at the new location, ensuring that opportunities for the workforce are available.”
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The move to Corby means up to 90 East Cambridgeshire employees are going through a potential redundancy consultation.
Those who can be transferred to the larger site will be offered suitable roles.
It is understood the Sutton site will be closed by April 1.
The email added: “Alongside this, we will endeavour to mitigate against any redundancies by exploring redeployment opportunities across iForce and the wider Group businesses.”
It says the contract was awarded in 2012 after Fortnum and Mason decided to outsource this area of its operations.
This involves picking and packing products for the stores in Piccadilly, St Pancras and Heathrow and also packing over 175,000 Christmas hampers with over 2m individual components.
Temporary contracts available over the Christmas peak meant there could be as many as 400 workers at the Sutton site.
Fortnum and Mason has been approached for comment.
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