It is not shaping up to be a very merry Christmas for 11 members of staff at the new Pwllheli B&M store, who are facing redundancy on December 24.

The employees, who all say they were given permanent contracts when the shop opened on November 23, have described the news as “a kick in the teeth.” Another 11 employees will also be departing the store as their temporary contacts come to an end.

B&M, which pledged to create 30 new jobs for locals when it opened its store in the north west Welsh town, has said it is “unable to maintain such a significant head count.”

One of the unlucky employees said, “The shop isn’t doing well so they’re getting rid of us, even though 11 of us were given permanent contracts. “I really thought our jobs were safe after the training telling us about the prospects of working for them.

“We were all called in to speak to management individually, but I had a feeling something bad was about to happen as there was another staff member crying in the canteen. It was awful. The shop’s hardly been open so it’s all so unexpected, and to say our last day is Christmas Eve was a kick in the teeth.

“I’m now really worried as I have put things on finance for Christmas, and I’m dreading being in debt and jobless in the new year when I was told there were good prospects at B&M. The whole atmosphere now is deflated, but needs must. I just can’t believe it after all that was promised.”

The staff member added that the management's handling of the dismissals had been “unprofessional,” saying that the first they heard of their redundancy was through a text from a colleague, and that the managers had got one person's name wrong when dismissing them.

B&M took over the former Co-op building in October and underwent a complete refurbishment. The business retained 20 members of Co-op staff and took on 30 extra workers.

A spokesperson for the retailer said, “Eleven colleagues will be affected by the job losses.

“There are an additional 11 people on temporary Christmas contracts who were due to finish on Christmas Eve.

“When we opened the store, we were able to add to the current Co-Op team and create new job roles for people who were previously unemployed.

“Unfortunately, we’re unable to maintain such a significant head count at the moment so have had to let some people go. We hope the experience, skills and training they’ve received as part of the B&M team will help them to secure a new job in the future.

“We currently have two roles in another store that these colleagues have been made aware of. Should any new roles within the company become available, these people will be given first refusal.”