The winding-up of the Empire Stores operation, with the eventual loss of up to 350 jobs in Bradford, means that another long-established name will be lost to the city. The French-owned parent company, Redcats, has said that the job cuts will be phased over 12 months, starting in April. That at least is better news than having 350 people pouring on to the jobs market all at the same time.

Even so, the announcement is bound to cause a lot of worry to many families not only those of the people who work at Empire Stores but also of the agents who rely on their earnings from commission on catalogue sales to supplement the family budget. The reduction in spending power, which hopefully will only be temporary, is bound to have a knock-on effect on Bradford's economy.

We live in a rapidly-changing world. Old ways of doing things are fading, while new ones gather strength. Empire Stores has become a victim of changing trends in shopping, with a growing number of people who used to buy from a catalogue now ordering online instead.

While Redcats is shedding the mail-order part of its business, other parts of it are set to expand. The company has given an assurance that Bradford will play a integral part in this expansion, so the district will hopefully benefit in the long term.

That promise of future jobs, though, may be of small consolation to the 350 or so employees who are faced in the short term with the loss of their present ones.