LONG-SERVING staff have lost their jobs as part of the redevelopment of an award-winning department store.

Williams & Griffin in High Street, Colchester, is undergoing a £30million overhaul, which includes increasing its retail space by 50 per cent.

As part of the package, the store, owned by Fenwick, is replacing its restaurant with a Carluccio's restaurant.

A total of 15 members of staff have been affected by the change and eight have been made redundant.

Carl Milton, Williams & Griffin’s managing director, said: “Unfortunately, 15 members of staff were directly affected by our decision to replace the existing customer selfservice restaurant.

“With about 100 years of combined experience of working for the business, we offered them all the opportunity to be redeployed elsewhere in the store.

“We are delighted seven took us up on that offer and have accepted alternative catering and sales roles.

“We provided individual assistance to the remaining eight members of staff who decided to accept our redundancy package, to help them develop their CVs and hone their interview skills.

“Asaresult, four have already found employment elsewhere, one has set up her own business and another has retired.”

Mr Milton said the store will be taking on a lot more staff asaresult of the expansion.

The two-year project is due to be completed by 2016.

It will see the shop redesigned on four floors and a new extension built at the back.

The store is also due to undergo a name change to become Fenwick, in line with the company's other shops