29/06/2006

Barclays to cut 1,200 jobs

Barclays has announced plans to cut 1,203 jobs as part of a two-year plan to change its UK retail business.

The job cuts will come from the closure of two call centres in Bexleyheath, Kent and Clacton, Essex, along with a processing centre in Dudley. The sites in Clacton and Dudley will close at the end of 2007, while the site in Bexleyheath will close in mid-2008.

A statement issued by Barclays said: "With careful management of staff turnover and active steps to re-deploy, it is expected that the number of employees made redundant will be significantly fewer than this (1,203).

"The workforce of UK retail banking is expected to remain broadly around the current number of 32,000.

"However, more staff will be in direct contact with the customer and fewer in head office support and back office processing roles."

The changes are part of plans which will see the Woolwich name disappear from the High Street.

Barclays purchased Woolwich in 2000 and it has unveiled plans to merge any Woolwich and Barclays branches within 300 metres of each other, affecting 10% of the combined branch network.

Other Woolwich branches will be re-branded Barclays and all bank accounts will be switched from Woolwich to Barclays.

However, Barclays stressed that there would be no further job losses as a result of the branch closures.

The changes were announced by Barclays retail banking chief executive, Deanna Oppenheimer, who said: "Our focus will be on enhancing the Woolwich brand, improving the branch network and streamlining back office processing. Once complete, these improvements will make all of our branches available to all of our customers, who will see familiar faces serving them in better-looking and better-equipped premises."

(KMcA/SP)

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