Liverpool corporate rewards and Christmas savings business Love2shop confirms a number of job losses at its city centre headquarters. Tony McDonough reports

Corporate rewards and Christmas savings business Love2shop confirms 24 people have been made redundant at its Liverpool city centre headquarters.

In March LBN exclusively revealed the business, which was originally called Park Group and owned by well known Merseyside tycoon Peter Johnson, was planning to reduce its workforce after being acquired by Paypoint in February 2023.

Now Paypoint has confirmed 24 roles have been cut at the office based at 20 Chapel Street. It added that a number of other people at risk of redundancy had now been redeployed within the company.

A spokesperson said: “Our consultation with colleagues in different parts of the PayPoint Group has now concluded and, regrettably, 24 roles in our Liverpool office have been made redundant.

“Decisions that impact our colleagues are always the hardest to make but these changes were necessary in order to ensure that the group has the appropriate organisational structure and cost base to support the delivery of its growth plans. 

“We were pleased to be able to redeploy a number of those at risk of redundancy into new roles and colleagues leaving the business were offered support to help them find new employment.

“We remain committed to Merseyside and still proudly employ more than 250 people in Liverpool.”

Love2shop can trace its origins back to a family butchers shop in Birkenhead. In the 1960s Peter Johnson, who died aged 84 in January this year, started a Christmas Savings Club out of the butchers shop.

It later became Park Group offering Christmas hampers and savings to people across the UK. Mr Johnson was a well-known figure in Merseyside and, at various points, was the owner of both Everton and Tranmere Rovers football clubs.

His name lives on through the Johnson Foundation which has raised more than £10m for charitable causes.

He eventually sold Park Group, which was listed on the stock exchange, after which it was rebranded as Appreciate Group. It ended the Christmas hampers operation in late 2020 but still offers Christmas savings.

However, its core business is now focused on the popular Love2shop gift voucher and corporate rewards. In 2020 its staff left their longtime Birkenhead home and set up base in Liverpool.

Following the takeover by Paypoint, the Appreciate name was pushed into the background and Love2shop became the main brand of the business.

PayPoint offers multiple outlets across the UK for people wanting to pay their domestic bills and purchases credit for pre-payment energy meters.