For Sale signs go up outside City Link HQ

City Link's Black Country headquarters has been put up for sale leaving 600 workers facing an uncertain future.

The For Sale sign has gone up outside the courier giant's base at Midland Road, Darlaston – the first visual signal of its closure.

It was announced last month by bosses that the firm is to close down its national distribution depot this summer, with redundancies on the cards. The firm has refused to be drawn on how many jobs will be lost.

Now buyers are being invited to take over the site, which coverss more than 15 acres.

Bentley and Darlaston ward's Councillor Bill Madeley said: "That is just another body blow as far as this recession is concerned. "The last thing we want is more redundancies. I just hope it is voluntary redundancies, not compulsory.

"What we must do as a council is do everything we can to help the people concerned.

"Walsall's cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Adrian Andrew, said: "It is obvious the recession is having an impact and unfortunately it is in some of the poorer areas and the most vulnerable people who are being affected.

"It is a real shame City Link is leaving the area. It is a big site and will no doubt attract undesirables if it left empty for too long.

"The company is to shut the Midland Road hub and merge with its base in Coventry. It has said redundancies would be minimised by redeploying staff to smaller depots.

Managing director Stuart Godman said the firm had taken a strategic business decision to consolidate its two national hubs into a single base.He said the network would then be supported by a new regional hub structure.

Last year, City Link axed one fifth of its 6,500 UK workforce following multi-million-pound losses suffered since taking over Target Express in 2006.