Jobs could be in jeopardy as a Hyndburn-based employer which was saved from administration earlier this year is proposing to move employees to Manchester.

In a document sent to staff at Studio Retail, and seen by the Lancashire Telegraph, it states the company is planning to close its office in Henry Street, Church, with staff being told they would have to relocate to Trafford.

The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, known as USDAW, said it has received consultation from the company that both sites, in Clayton Le Moors and Church, are undergoing proposed ‘restructure and relocation’.

The retailer was bought by Frasers Group, owned by Sports Direct founder and former owner of Newcastle United, Mike Ashley, earlier this year.

This saved thousands of jobs after the company looked set to go into administration in February, after failing to secure a £25 million loan.

Now, in the document seen by the Lancashire Telegraph, staff who work at the Church office have been told the “current economic has created a really challenging trading period”, which has forced the company to become “more efficient”.

The firm is now proposing to move jobs from Church to Trafford in Manchester, which it says will allow it to “tap into a wider talent pool” to work alongside existing staff.

A member of staff, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Frasers was heralded for saving jobs only six months ago when it took over Studio, but now is happy to put those jobs at risk to move locations for no real benefit.

“Despite claiming that in office working is more productive staff have been shown no hard evidence of this, and now a local company filled with local staff is being broken apart on the whims of a city business.”

USDAW Area Organiser, Julia Baldwin, said: “We have received communication from the company in relation to proposed restructure and relocation of parts of the business across both Accrington sites.

“Thursday, September 29, will be our second consultation meeting in order for us to fully understand the business rationale and to assess the impact this may have on our members.

“We will keep our members fully engaged throughout the process dealing with any issues they may have.

“We recognise that this is a difficult time for our members and will provide support, representation and advice that they require.”

Studio Retail’s trading team, and some customer and digital, and finance staff would be relocated to Trafford from early 2023, with the structure of the trading team also reviewed to save money.

The document went on to say that staff who may not be able or willing to work from Trafford may face redundancy, with other job roles potentially at risk as a result of the move.

In the document, the company said it has now entered a phase of ‘collective consultation’ along with the union USDAW, which it expects to conclude by November 7.

In the letter to staff, the company said further sessions to discuss the move will be held over the coming weeks and months, to answer any questions staff may have.

Studio Retail was contacted by the Lancashire Telegraph but declined to comment on the matter.