Off-licence chain First Quench Retailing has begun a consultation process with head office staff that could lead to up to 80 positions being made redundant.

First Quench, which operates the Threshers, The Local and Wine Rack fascias, employs 340 staff at head office. The retailer said the consultation may lead to around 60 head office and 18 field management positions – including regional and district managers – being scrapped.

A spokeswoman for the retailer said: “Like other retailers, First Quench is operating in an exceptionally challenging economic climate with a consumer downturn and looking to reshape the business for the future.”

Separately, the retailer’s operations director Alun Johnson has left the business to pursue an independent business venture. Johnson was at First Quench for more than 10 years and worked on the launch of The Local. He is replaced by Mark Dence, who takes responsibility for all of the business’s retail brands.

First Quench confirmed at the beginning of the year that it is in negotiations with landlords to offload unprofitable stores. It is thought that it could shed as many as 400 of its 1,500 shops as it seeks to protect itself from the downturn.

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