WARRINGTON Borough Council hopes to ‘maximise’ job opportunities at other logistics companies in the town for workers affected by the closure of Marks and Spencer’s distribution centre in Woolston.

The high street giant announced on Tuesday that its Hardwick Grange site will close in September, putting around 450 jobs at risk.

But Warrington Borough Council hopes to work with M&S – as well as distribution centre operators XPO Logistics and DHL – to support employees who will be affected by the move.

A council spokesman said: "Marks and Spencer are restructuring their logistics and distribution arrangements, and it is very unfortunate that the centre will close.

"We will be working with M&S and its operators to ensure that the staff are properly supported, that there is appropriate future job advice and that the closure is made as smooth as possible.

"We will also be working closely with the borough's growing logistics sector in order to maximise job opportunities for the employees who are directly affected."

M&S plans to create a combined clothing and home logistics network as part of the company’s ‘five-year transformation programme’.

It believes the move to a smaller network of large distribution centres will allow it to move products from suppliers to stores ‘faster and at a lower cost’.

The chain’s distribution centre in Bradford is currently being automated to handle increased capacity – leading to the closure of the Warrington branch.

XPO Logistics and DHL have now entered into a period of consultation with employees based on the site.

Gordon Mowat, director of clothing and home supply chain and logistics at M&S, said: “Closing Hardwick Grange will help to remove some complexity from our network and speed up our supply chain.

“However, it was not a decision we took lightly and it is not in any way a reflection on the hard work and dedication provided by the teams on site.

“We will do all we can to support our partners through the consultation process.”