DOZENS of workers at New Look’s Weymouth headquarters are facing the axe.

Staff were informed yesterday that posts in some departments were being put at risk.

Workers in the human resources section of the firm are believed to be among those affected.

The devastating news comes just weeks after the company celebrated getting the go ahead for its new offices at the Mercery Road site.

Around 1,000 new jobs were announced for the town as part of the Weymouth Gateway project.

New Look refused to comment on the redundancies yesterday but it is believed an announcement will be made today when the company reveals its annual results.

Staff remained tight-lipped at the retail giant as word of the possible redundancies spread.

Workers leaving the New look site yesterday did not want to talk about the potential job cuts, with staff answering ‘No Comment,’ when asked about the potential job losses.

The move is the latest in a long line of job cuts at the site.

New Look made the shock announcement at the beginning of 2009 that it was shifting major departments to London, severing its links with Weymouth even further.

Four years after more than 500 jobs were lost through the relocation of the distribution centre to Newcastle-under-Lyme, the company said it was relocating its buying, merchandising and design sections to new premises in the capital.

The move to London was phased in over 2009 and affected half its 500 staff. It left 250 people in the resort working in the IT, finance, human resources, helpdesk and property departments.

Bosses at the time said the retail giant remained committed to having a presence in Weymouth ‘for the foreseeable future’ and was keen to press ahead with a masterplan for Mount Pleasant, now known as the Weymouth Gateway project.

The company reaffirmed its commitment to the town as it celebrated the green light for its new headquarters as part of the ambitious scheme.

Just last month councillors backed plans for a Sainsbury’s supermarket, a hotel, pub, restaurant and New Look head office building.

Alistair Miller, of New Look, said the committee’s decision to approve the clothes retailer’s new HQ was excellent news for the town.

He said at the time: “The decision marks an important milestone in our plans to provide new offices for our staff, regenerate this key gateway site and, in the process, provide more than 1,000 jobs for Weymouth.

The head office will be a 16 metre high three-storey building situated in the middle of the Gateway site.

It will feature a new mock shop and more than 750 car parking spaces.

Work is set to begin on the site later this year.

Keith Gosling of New Look’s senior finance team recently told a Weymouth and Portland Borough Council planning meeting that the Weymouth Gateway site would provide a ‘significant’ amount of employment for the town.

Mr Gosling said: “All of us at New Look are very excited about these proposals.”

30,000 employed by firm across the world

Tom Singh opened the first New Look shop in Taunton in 1969. Since then the company has expanded to over 1,000 stores in 13 countries and employs 30,000 people.

There have been repeated rumours that New Look is thought to be considering a stock market flotation.

The company, owned by private equity firms Permira and Apax as well as founder Mr Singh, reportedly held talks with several investment banks but so far the move has not materialised Three years ago the group abandoned plans to float after a lukewarm response from investors, while a £2 billion sale of the business also failed when the company was unable to agree a price with potential suitors.

New Look was taken private in 2004 by Apax and Permira for £700 million, with Mr Singh retaining a 22 per cent stake.

Since then its new owners have invested more than £400 million in the business.