THE FUTURE of up to 15 staff at Southampton's Index store looks in doubt as the catalogue business' owner Littlewoods looks to cut 3,200 nationwide.

The Index store, located inside the Above Bar Littlewoods branch, is among 126 Index outlets closed nationally. A further 33 are being sold to rival Argos in a £44m deal, as previously reported by the Daily Echo.

Littlewoods - owned by the Barclay brothers - said it had run out of patience with the chain, which it pointed out had racked up losses in almost every year of its 20-year history, amounting to more than £100m in total.

The news is the latest blow in the retail sector, following the demise of the department store chain Allders and the 65-outlet Gadget Shop chain which both have city outlets that have closed.

A spokesman for Littlewoods declined to reveal exactly how many staff are employed in the Southampton index concession but said it was likely to be between five and 15.

She said: "Obviously these jobs are at risk, but there's a 90 day consultation period when we look at the options and create a package of support for those people affected."