Bosses insist there is no danger of the Fenwick store in Canterbury closing as part of a re-organisation of the company

Rumours the department store could be at risk after the business announced a major review of its operations have been scotched - although job losses are expected.

The Fenwick brand has nine stores nationwide., having been founded in Newcastle in 1963 by the merger of ironmonger H E Williams & Co and furnishing store H L Griffin & Co. The Canterbury store opened in 2003 after Ricemans was demolished, and remains the flagship of the Whitefriars redevelopment.

But each of the branches operates autonomously, which the company is seeking to change to “future-proof” the business.

Spokesman Sinead Archetti said: “I can confirm that there will be no store closures and at this time there are no plans to revamp Canterbury.

“Fenwick has announced a proposal to modernise and reorganise the business, moving to a functionally-led structure while retaining our local focus.

“We are consulting all colleagues about proposed structural changes.”

“These proposals are part of a broader strategy to modernise the business and to invest in both Fenwick’s multichannel offer - including IT upgrades and e-commerce - and its flagship Newcastle store.”

The firm has entered a 45-day consultation process with staff, after which the number of job losses will be revealed. They are likely to be mainly among administrative and management roles as a result of them being centralised in Newcastle.