Fashion giant Arcadia expects to make redundancies at its head office to improve efficiency and make best use of resources in tough trading conditions, but the retailer will continue to invest in growth.

Arcadia, which employs 45,000 people altogether, is likely to cut about 90 jobs out of about 3,000 in five head office locations, most of which are in London.

An Arcadia spokeswoman said that staff were told today about the anticipated job losses. Most of those affected are in support roles and store staff will not be affected.

Despite a strong record in job creation, Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green and other directors believed greater efficiencies were essential in the light of some of the most difficult trading conditions in memory.

The spokeswoman said that the amount of “capital and energy” being invested in Arcadia is continuing at the same rate as in previous years.

Arcadia continues to expand and on Thursday will open a US flagship Topshop and Topman store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue.