Edinburgh H&M call centre set to close with 150 job losses expected

Edinburgh call centre workers have been told their jobs are at risk after H&M announced the closure of a centre.

Staff at the Waverley Gate office were informed in August of a proposal to shut down the building. Now, operations will cease on December 14.

This comes after H&M closes 250 stores globally following the pandemic, with more shoppers moving online. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes previously urged the brand to avoid redundancies, should the call centre close.

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A change in customer behaviour, increased competition and operational costs have been blamed for the closure. BBC Scotland News said they have seen documents which reveal employees were given two weeks' notice of their dismissal.

Consultations with employees were reportedly held earlier this year.

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A spokeswoman for H&M said: "We constantly evaluate how we operate to ensure that we deliver on our goals and contribute to the overall success of the company. Having looked into the scope of our customer service set-up, increased competition in the market, our customers changing behaviours and expectations and operational costs, we have made the difficult decision to proceed with the proposed closure of our customer service site in Edinburgh by the end of the year."

"These decisions are not made lightly and unfortunately the closure will result in valued colleagues leaving the company. As the process has continued, the number of affected colleagues has reduced through securing alternative roles through redeployment, as well as colleagues securing alternative employment elsewhere and electing to leave voluntarily. However, 150 colleagues will be leaving the company by the end of the year.”

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