Bury: Former Capita building for Tesco Mobile workers stripped

The former Capita site on Dumers Lane in Bury has been stripped of internal fixtures and fittings and the multi-storey car park has been demolished.

The property, which served as a call centre for Tesco Mobile, was at one time the biggest private employer in Bury, and even last year it employed just under 500 people.

After it was announced staff would be moved to Preston Brook, near Runcorn, with some working at home, employees protested about the controversial move.

Workers protesting at the site (Image: Public)

READ > Workers call for hundreds of jobs to stay in Bury in protest

The council and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) called on Capita to rethink the proposals to keep jobs in the town.

Council leader, Cllr Eamonn O'Brien, joined workers on the picket line.

In May 2021, he said: "We are all very worried about the impact it will have on the staff, many who are our local residents but also the other staff who come in to Bury and contribute to our economy and support a great local service.

"And we don't like to see jobs leaving Bury at this time.

"Our economy is very fragile as it rebuilds and recovers from coronavirus, and this is simply not going to help."

At the time, CWU regional secretary Carl Webb added: "One word stuck out to us after we emailed our members to let them know what was going and that was 'heartbroken'.

"They are devastated, they have worked all the way through the pandemic, they have been really busy, they have been key workers helping keep the country connected.

"They have made this brand, Tesco Mobile, what it is."

Workers protesting at the site (Image: Public)

But in response to the action, a Capita spokesperson said: “We have made the difficult decision to close our Bury contact centre.

"In the future, the work will be delivered from our Preston Brook office alongside a home working solution.

"As part of the consultation, we plan to retain as many colleagues as possible on this contract

"From the start, we have had constructive, ongoing conversations with our appointed union reps which we will continue to do throughout the process."

Capita did not own the building and its lease was close to coming to an end.

Now work has been carried out by Hardcore Crushing Limited on behalf of landlords Dumers Lane Ltd.

Nolan Redshaw, the firm marketing the property, said that reusing the site as a call centre would have been "virtually impossible" so dated internal fixtures and fittings have been removed.

Inside the cleared building (Image: Nolan Redshaw)

Director Paul Nolan added: “We are hopeful that planning permission will shortly be granted to enable the property to be beneficially used again."

It is not yet known what the building will be used for in the future.

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