DEVASTATED, tearful staff at Woolworths, at Monks Cross, York, learned today that the store will close in 18 days - and a new Marks & Spencer fashion store will move on to the site.

One of the more than 50 employees affected said today: "We were all kept completely in the dark. There's no shortage of tears, anger and frustration at how this has been handled. Our store manager Mike Hillam was devastated and in tears. He and all of us knew nothing about it until an area manager announced that we were to close on March 26. A lot of people who have families were crying and in a state of shock, yet we were asked not to speak to the Press."

A letter, distributed to the staff from the Woolworths area management, states: "We were approached by our landlord for the surrender of our lease, with the offer of a substantial capital sum.

"Contracts for the surrender are now unconditional and the landlord has subsequently agreed a new lease of the property to Marks & Spencer."

The letter said that unless staff were redeployed, they would be made redundant.

But an employee, who preferred not to give his name, said: "There is absolutely no hope of redeployment. The only other Woolworths in York is in Spurriergate and there are no vacancies there.

"We have been given the statutory 30 days consultation, yet only 18 days' notice that our store is closing. In spite of that indecent haste, they are expecting us to do a stock take and transfer stock to other stores and tidy up for them afterwards. Their disloyalty is nothing short of a disgrace."

Katherine Hague, manager of Monks Cross Shopping Park which negotiates the leases, declined to comment. She said: "This matter is confidential." Marks & Spencer today confirmed that it had exchanged contracts to open a second store at Monks Cross following on from the success of the Simply Food store that opened there in September 2003.

The new 14,000sq ft store will offer a range of clothing for all the family, and will "create a substantial number of new jobs for the area," said a spokesperson.

Opening later this year, the new store will complement the existing Marks & Spencer offer in York and at Monks Cross and increase the range of choice for local customers.

Sandie Almond, acquisition surveyor at Marks & Spencer, said: "It is the perfect place for us to be increasing our current offer, especially as our Simply Food store has been so successful."

Updated: 14:13 Tuesday, March 08, 2005