HOUSEbuilders Barratt Developments are axing their regional office in Chapeltown – and 60 workers are to lose their jobs.
The company has blamed the credit crunch for a radical overhaul of its workforce nationally, in which 1,000 of its 6,700 employees could face the sack.
Job cuts will affect building sites, sales, administration and support operations as the firm s
hrinks its business to meet the tougher market conditions.
A spokesman said job losses were necessary as the firm had to manage its overheads in the face of difficult housing market conditions.
He promised the company would enter into full consultations with its employees.
Barratt says it plans to complete its current housing developments in the Sheffield region and responsibility for its existing sites will transfer to its Leeds office.
A Barratt spokesman said: "Our number one priority is to ensure that Barratt's core skills are retained."
The news comes a fortnight after construction firm Gleeson announced they were closing the Sheffield office of their regeneration and house building subsidiaries.
Sheffield solicitors Taylor & Emmet are also axing seven jobs in their residential conveyancing department.
Barratt has been under pressure since its takeover of rival Wilson Bowden 18 months ago. Its share price has slumped and it is currently burdened with debts of around £1.7 billion as a result of the deal.
The darkening outlook for the economy has also hit house sales in the crucial spring selling season, putting the finances of the UK's biggest housebuilders under severe strain.
READ MOREMain news indexLettersCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionFind the wackiest websites on the web and the strangest stories making the headlines, click here for Star Bizarre.The full article contains 301 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
