Currys PC World at Bluewater is to close.

The store will shut its doors in January when its the company's lease ends.

All employees, totalling more than a dozen, will be offered redeployment locally, with the closest store being Crayford.

A spokesman said: “As part of our usual store review process, we have decided to close our Bluewater shop when its lease comes to an end in January. All colleagues affected will be offered redeployment locally and fully supported throughout this process.”

He added should suitable alternative employment not be found, staff will be supported and "any payments to which an individual is entitled will be made."

A former employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said staff found out about the shock move on Saturday morning, adding: "The word that is being used is devastated. Some of them have been there since the store opened about a decade ago and one woman has been at the company for 30 years."

He said: "They'll offer people jobs at stores which are no where near Bluewater but they won't be able to get there. That's how they'll get round paying redundancy. Anything they can do to save money they will. They don't care about people who work there at all.

"I don't actually think they'll be enough space to accommodate the staff at the other stores. How do you double up management? It just wouldn't work.

"I'm not aware of them closing any other stores and the two other branches of Carphone Warehouse at Bluewater will remain open."

He added that the store, which includes a branch of Carphone, has been struggling for some time.

In May parent company Dixons Carphone announced it will close 92 Carphone Warehouse shops.

The spokesman added they will close over the coming year and all staff affected are being offered redeployment locally. He said the closure is therefore unrelated.