Up to 147 jobs could go at discount retailer Trago Mills’ stores across Devon, Cornwall and its Wales store, according to letters leaked by staff.
An announcement made by the company has been shared with staff in relation to the possibility of redundancies due to the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, our sister site reports.
The business began to in line with government guidelines.
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There could be overall reductions in staff numbers by 54 in , 71 in , 22 in and 53 at Merthyr Tydfil in Wales.
The announcement states that the company has decided to carry out a consultation exercise with representatives of the staff affected.
Trago says it will explore alternatives to redundancies and the mitigating consequences of any such dismissals as well as any other suggestions from staff.
It is expected 10 representatives across the stores will be elected to represent the interests of all affected employees. Two representatives at Liskeard, four at Newton Abbot, one at Falmouth and three at Merthyr Tydfil.
A separate staff announcement gave further details about the difficulties faced by the company.
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It spoke of no real increase in sales since a 6pm closing time was reinstated and catering sales and leisure income far below normal levels.
Trago says the net effect of the current situation is that there is an overall reduction in the level of work means it cannot sustain its staff levels.
It adds that the board has “no choice” but to make some difficult decisions in order to safeguard as many jobs as possible but aims to keep any redundancies as low as can be.
A Trago spokesman said: "We are not in a position to comment at the moment as the staff consultation period has only just opened.
"It is neither ethical or fair on those involved for people to be speculating about possible outcomes. Trago is no different to most other businesses insomuch as it has been unavoidably impacted by the pandemic. Full and transparent comment from Trago senior management will be made at the appropriate time."