The offices earmarked for closure are Bristol, County Antrim, Cumbernauld, Leeds, London, Manchester and Uckfield and the 48 affected staff were put under a 30 day consultation yesterday (Tuesday, 29 November), with the offices expected to close during February next year. However, 18 new roles will be created at Northampton as a result of centralising customer service.
Robert Horne managing director Paul French said: "As we look to be more than just a paper company to our customers... we wanted to create a business model that is fit for the future both for us and our customers. Paper consumption is declining, so a model that was right 10 years ago isn’t the model that is right for today."
These proposed closures are the culmination of a restructure of a branch network that three years ago was made up of 18 offices. However, according to French, the Northampton site already handles 45% of the company’s sales.
"As we’ve been folding the offices in we’ve created the required critical mass at Northampton. So it’s already an established centre of competence."
French also stressed that all warehousing, stockholding and distribution points are "completely unaffected".
"So if there is stock at Leeds, Bristol or wherever [that will continue] and customers will still call their local number, it’s just that the staff that handle the enquiry will be in Northampton, it won’t impact on our local capabilities or national footprint in terms of deliveries.
Non paper sales at the group now account for 40% of the group’s sales, and, according to French, to have product experts on things such as packaging, inks, plates, blankets and digital proofing in each local office was unfeasible.
"Having our sales based at one location means that customers will have access to a far greater range of expertise."
French added that centralising sales will also enable the company focus its resources during peak times, typically the last third of the working day and as part of the move, the company will extend its opening hours from 6pm to 8pm.
Robert Horne generates sales of £320m and employs circa 750 staff, although 300 of those are part of the DeliveryCo, parent company PaperlinX’s logistics operation. There are currently no plans to roll the new sales model out to Robert Horne's sign & display division or the other Paperlinx merchants, Howard Smith and The Paper Company.
