Builders’ merchant and Wickes chain owner Travis Perkins has revealed plans to close more than 30 branches in a move impacting 600 jobs across the group.
Travis Perkins said the branches would be shut across its trade businesses, while it is also closing 10 smaller distribution centres and reviewing its plumbing and heating division as it warned over full-year profits amid “uncertain” trading.
All 600 staff impacted are aware of the changes, it added.
Travis, which employs 28,000 staff group-wide, said it hoped to relocate some of the affected staff to other sites.
Branches are expected to close across its trade brands, such as Travis Perkins, kitchen and joinery arm Benchmarx and plumbing and heating businesses BSS and PTS.
The overhaul comes as Travis Perkins said full-year underlying earnings would be “slightly” lower-than-expected, while it cautioned over the outlook for 2017.
It said: “Given that levels of future demand remain difficult to predict, the group has chosen to implement a number of efficiency programmes and branch closures to further optimise the network.
“This work includes the closure of 10 smaller distribution and fabrication centres, the write-off of certain IT legacy equipment and over 30 branch closures in our trade businesses.”