Hard times for staff as Carphone Warehouse looks to close its stores in Peterborough

The retailer has at least four three mobile phone stores in Peterborough - in the Queensgate shopping centre, the Serpentine Green shopping centre, the Bretton Centre and the Brotherhood Shopping Park - employing scores of staff and which are set to close on April 3.

Now the company's owner, Dixons Carphone, has announced it plans to shut all 531 of its standalone Carphone Warehouse mobile phone stores in the UK with the loss of 2,900 jobs.

The group said the shops - which make up about eight per cent of the group's selling space - will shut on April 3 as it plans to sell mobile phones solely in its 305 combined Currys PC World stores and online across the UK.

It says the move is "essential" to help turn around its UK mobile arm, which is set to make a £90 million loss this year.

It hopes many staff will take new roles elsewhere in the business and is offering help to find new employment to others.

Carphone Warehouse group chief executive Alex Baldock said: "There's never an easy time for an announcement like this, but the turbulent times ahead only underline the importance of acting now.

He added: "We're working hard to look after those colleagues we can't find new roles for, financially and otherwise.

"We'll pay enhanced redundancy, any bonuses, honour their share awards, and help them find new jobs through an outplacement programme."

News of the pending Carphone Warehouse closures comes after the Disney Store temporarily closed all its UK stores, including its branch in Queensgate, for 'health and safety reasons' amid the coronavirus outbreak.