Staff working at a city centre store which is set to close and be replaced by Swansea's main central library have described how they first learnt about the news not by their employer, but via WalesOnline.
On Friday it was announced that What! in Oxford Street was set to become the new home of Swansea's main library, and a host of other community services. Celebration Assets, owner of the business, told Swansea Council it was planning on quitting the premises to focus its retail efforts on other Swansea sites, such as the adjoining former Miss Selfridge unit.
But the news, announced by Swansea Council and reported by WalesOnline, came as a shock to at least some employees who work at the store, who said they had no prior knowledge of what was going on.
"Nobody has been told, nobody knows at all," said one employee.
"I called my boss and asked: 'What is going on?' and I was told nothing has been confirmed in writing yet. It was the first I heard and I was a bit in shock. There are around ten to 12 people working there all together.
"It is quite a popular shop, and I'm always getting people asking me: 'When are you opening?' 'When are you opening?' It is one of the main shops in that part of Oxford Street along with Marks and Spencer. The communication should have been a lot better. There are a lot of us who could potentially be struggling if it was to go."
A spokesperson for Celebration Assets has stated that all staff at the store would be offered positions elsewhere in its business, some of whom already work at several of its outlets.
As well as the library, the new-look location in the heart of the city centre could also become home to the West Glamorgan Archive Service, an employability hub, and a number of other public front-facing services.
If approved, the multi-purpose community space could be serving the people of Swansea by 2023. The proposals have been unveiled as part of an initial high-level public consultation that starts today. Consultation will continue as part of the project and no final decision will be made until feedback from the public has been taken into account.
The council is already working on longer term plans for the Civic Centre, where the library is currently housed, and it is one of seven strategic development sites set to be redeveloped as a residential-led mixed use community. Discussions are ongoing about its future.
Celebration Assets has been approached for comment.
