The Bradley Stoke Journal

Catalogue retailer Argos has begun recruiting staff for its new Bradley Stoke store, due to open at the Willow Brook Centre in late November.

The new store will occupy unit 3 of the retail terrace, between Brantano and Peacocks, which is currently having an additional ‘mezzanine’ floor installed to function as a stock room.

An advertisement on the Argos Careers website says the retail group is looking for Delivery Assistants, Stock Room Assistants and Customer Advisors to join the team at its new store.

Customer Advisors are expected to have “fantastic communication skills” and a “great telephone manner”. Previous experience in the retail industry is said to be desirable but not essential.

Stock Assistants will be responsible for dealing with deliveries and “putting stock away on a timely basis and in priority order”. Applicants will need to be “aware of the importance of health and safety”.

It is understood that around 40 new jobs will be created at the new store.

The closing date for applications is Friday 14th October 2011.

Read more: Job vacancies at Argos Bradley Stoke (Argos Careers)

Related link: Jobs in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

Mobile phone company Orange is to close its call centre in Bradley Stoke with the loss of 300 jobs.

The news was broken yesterday (Wednesday) by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents staff at the site.

Andy Kerr, CWU Deputy General Secretary, said:

“Orange has briefed staff in Bristol today confirming that it will be closing the Keypoint centre [at St James Court, Great Park Road, Bradley Stoke]. Many of the staff will be moving to other sites but unfortunately Orange will not be retaining the call centre so up to 300 people will be made redundant.”

Staff are said to have been bracing themselves for job losses after Orange’s announcement of its intention to merge with T-Mobile, but the “blanket” redundancies came as a surprise.

Many of the employees are said to have been in tears after the announcement and managers decided to close the call centre for the remainder of the day.

The workers have now entered a 90 day consultation period. They will be offered a relocation package to move to Orange’s call centre operations in Plymouth or Darlington. Staff who do not wish to move will be given redundancy payments.

The CWU added:

“We are in close contact with Orange and hope to minimise the impact these job losses will have on workers by exploring redeployment or retraining to enable staff to take up other roles in Bristol and other options as fully as possible.”

The application deadline for management positions at the Tesco Extra store currently under construction in Bradley Stoke’s new town centre has been extended to 11th July 2008.

When originally advertised, the closing date was listed as 19th June. This was later extended to 30th June, before being changed once more to the current deadline.

It is not known if the application deadline changes reflect any slippage in the construction timetable for the new store, which is scheduled to open in “late autumn [2008]“. The projected opening date for a dental practice to be located in the shopping mall attached to the new Tesco Extra store recently slipped from December 2008 to April 2009.

The Journal understands that applications for shopfloor positions at the new Tesco Extra store will open later this month.

Links:

• Advertisement for management positions at Tesco Extra, Bradley Stoke
• More new town centre stories in The Journal
• More new town centre information in The Journal

Photos of the new town centre construction work can be seen in our PicasaWeb Gallery.

The first detailed advert for new jobs in Bradley Stoke’s new town centre development has appeared on the Tesco careers website. The supermarket group is looking for “various managers” for the new Tesco Extra store that is currently under construction and scheduled to open in “late autumn [2008]“.

Salaries for the management positions start at £21,000. Benefits include a pension scheme, a profit share scheme and a staff privilege card giving a 10% discount on Tesco purchases.

The closing date for applications is 19^th June 2008.

The only other company to so far confirm a presence in the new town centre is Reflections Hairdessing [first reported in The Bradley Stoke Examiner]. A source at the company confirmed earlier this year that they will be opening a salon in one of the mall units attached to the new Tesco Extra store. The Reflections website currently states simply that “experienced stylists” are required for Bradley Stoke. Potential applicants are instructed to contact the company for further details.

More information about Bradley Stoke’s new town centre development can be found elsewhere in The Journal:

• New Town Centre posts
• New Town Centre pages

Photos of the new town centre construction work can be seen in our PicasaWeb Gallery.