STAFF at a March bookshop face losing their jobs after the shock announcement this week that the company may stop trading in Fenland.

Walkers Bookshop in Broad Street, which opened in 2001, could close and its five staff were informed on Tuesday that they were at risk of losing their jobs.

The family-run business runs five other stores across East Anglia and the East Midlands but managing director Tim Walker admitted the March shop was the only store facing the threat of closure.

Mr Walker said: “At this very early stage we have informed staff that we are entering a consultation period regarding the risk of redundancy.

“We’re going to look at absolutely every option to save the shop because we desperately didn’t want to put this process in place.

“At the moment nothing is firm but the shop isn’t bringing in the trade it did and it’s almost becoming unviable to keep a store in the town.

“I think we’ve been struggling in March for some time - it doesn’t seem like the town centre sees so many people using it anymore.”

A member of staff confirmed they had been told about the redundancy threat and that they were all “gutted” by the “shock” news.

The shop, which sells a wide-range of books, stationery, greetings cards and gifts, also contains a Thorntons franchise. Walkers began trading in 1972.

The shops staff were described as “very polite” and the store a “great shop to visit” in a online bookstore review in 2009.