Toy giant Hamleys is to axe roles at its head office as part of a re-structuring strategy to cut costs.
A Hamleys spokeswoman said a “reasonable amount” of central support staff will lose their jobs, but declined to give a figure. She said some staff have left and others are in a consultation period. No sales staff will be affected by the plans.

She added that rising toy, oil and energy costs had forced the retailer to make changes in order to deliver growth.
“With consumers having to make their household budgets stretch even further just to buy necessities, we must make sure we have our own house in order,” said Hamleys in a statement.

The retailer said that it was looking for operational efficiencies that would “end in a reduction in headcount”.
The statement said: “The board has not taken this decision lightly, but believes the proposals are the only sensible course of action given the present economic climate.”

Last month, the Toy Retailers Association said that, for the first time in more than 20 years, retailers have had a mid-year price increase from UK suppliers that source in China. Toy retailers are bearing the brunt of soaring costs from the region. Rising labour costs and the spike in the cost of raw materials are to blame.

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