A further 840 employees will lose their jobs when eight of the company’s logistics centres are closed over the spring, it was revealed on Thursday. The logistics side of the company will be reduced to four regional bases, and one national one in Ehingen, Baden-Württemberg.

The list of nearly 12,000 shop employees due to lose their jobs was handed over to the workers’ council during a meeting with insolvency administrators. They also published a list of 2,000 shops to be closed by March 24 and said closing sales would start immediately.

Political arguments continued on Wednesday over whether to set up a state-backed “transfer association” to help find new work or training for the workers set to lose their jobs.

Nils Schmid, the Social Democrat economy minister in Baden-Württemberg, where Schlecker is based, said he could not help and called for funding from the federal government.

“Otherwise 12,000 women will be left standing on the street and I will not accept that responsibility,” he said. The federal Economy Ministry has already ruled out such a move.

Schlecker administrator Arndt Geiwitz said he had sent faxes to the shops which will be closed, and instructed them to start a 30-percent-off closing down sale.

Those 2,000 will have to go in order to save the rump of the business, which will consist of 3,120 stores.

DAPD/The Local/hc