Shop Direct Group is reviewing staffing at its call centres as it continues to veer away from its traditional catalogue roots.

A spokeswoman at shop workers’ union Usdaw said: “We’re in talks [with Shop Direct] over initiatives and cannot comment on any redundancies at this point."

The move follows a review of the retailer’s management structure two weeks ago affecting about 100 roles at the business. Up to 70 people are set to lose their jobs following the restructure, with some roles being taken out of the business and some roles being created or shifted.

Shop Direct Group, formerly Littlewoods, said at the time that the shake-up was part of its “ongoing transformation from a catalogue to an online business”. It hopes that at least 70 per cent of its turnover will be generated online by 2011. In 2005 just 18 per cent of its sales came from this channel.

A spokesman from Shop Direct Group confirmed that it was in talks with Usdaw regarding the call centre workers. The discussions could continue for several weeks.