STAFF at Safeway's head office are still waiting to hear whether their jobs are under threat in the continuing bidding war for the supermarket giant.
Negotiations started earlier by northern supermarket chain Morrisons which said up to 1,200 jobs could go at the head office in North Hyde Road, Hayes.
Morrisons said that if they were successful in acquiring Safeway, a new head office would be sited in Bradford.
But with other chains, including Asda and Sainsbury, expressing an interest in Safeway, the future of head office employees is uncertain.
If Sainsbury were successful in their bid, fears are that the head office would be located in central London.
Hillingdon councillor Douglas Mills, the cabinet member responsible for regeneration in the borough, said: "Changes such as those being proposed will inevitably cause concern to the employees based in Hayes, many of whom are local residents.
"The situation is made worse by the fact that a final decision on ownership is unlikely to be known for some time now that several companies are involved in making bids.
"I do intend to write to Sainsbury's Chief Executive, Sir Peter Davis. I will urge him, if successful in acquiring Safeway, to talk to us about basing the new head office at the Hayes location rather than Central London.
January 29, 2003 18:30
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