Virgin.com offers team redundancy

Virgin.com’s entire marketing department has been offered voluntary redundancy as part of a streamlining of the company’s Internet operations.

The business is being combined with Internet service provider Virgin.net, which is demerging from cable TV provider NTL.

Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson says the new Internet company will allow marketing budgets to be pooled into one venture, selling products such as wine, cars, rail and air tickets.

The group set aside a £30m budget to promote the launch of several divisions this year, such as online utilities venture Virgin Energy and this figure is likely to increase.

All 35 staff at Virgin.com have received letters offering voluntary redundancy or redeployment to the newly-formed company.

Eleven of the 35 employees, including marketing director Robert Pepper, work in the Virgin.com marketing department.

But Virgin says the letters have been sent out “as a matter of course” and expects all members of staff to accept redeployment rather than take redundancy.

A spokeswoman says: “It’s highly unlikely there will be any redundancies at Virgin.com.

“The letters are standard practice which give employees the two options by law.

“There is room for everyone to move over.

“Staff levels will be the same initially but are likely to increase over time.”