A home furniture chain has dismissed claims it is closing its Dunfermline store and making workers there redundant.
Sterling Home Furniture has a store on Kingseat Road, as well as a clearance outlet in Dundee.
The Belfast-based, family-run firm has quashed rumours of job losses and the possible axing of stores in the region.
It follows reports that staff in Dunfermline faced imminent job losses.
It also followed claims made by councillors at Fife Council’s budget meeting today (Thursday) that the Dunfermline store was closing due to an increase in employers’ national insurance contributions to 15%.
Sterling Home Furniture Dunfermline to remain open
The firm said it is being forced to make some “difficult decisions” in the wake of changes to tax legislation.
However, Sterling Home Furniture confirmed it has no plans to close the Dunfermline or Dundee stores when contacted by The Courier on Thursday.
It also said that sales staff would not be affected, with redundancies mainly affecting operating staff.
It also confirmed the Dundee clearance store was safe from closure or job losses.
A spokesperson for Sterling said: “In response to challenges in the evolving retail landscape, including the additional tax burden announced in the recent budget, we have been forced to take difficult decisions to safeguard the future of the company.
“Regrettably, after conducting a comprehensive review of our operations and staffing levels, we have determined that restructuring and redundancies are necessary to ensure our long-term viability and success.
“The well-being of the affected staff is our main priority, and we fully acknowledge the impact these redundancies will have.
“We will do everything possible to minimise job losses and, where feasible, support employees in exploring alternative roles within the organisation.
“We are committed to helping them through this process to ensure a smooth transition.”
Conversation