THE news of problems emanating from the proposed merger of the GUS Home Shopping business with Littlewoods has sent shock waves of considerable proportions around the Worcester city and shire community.

Any potential threat to a business employing nearly 3,000 people in the county must be taken seriously and this is apparently what the local MPs and unions are doing.

They have launched a campaign to allow this merger to go ahead.

But let us look briefly at this complicated tale of corporate business in the 21st Century.

The Barclay brothers are owners of both the Littlewoods business and GUS Home Shopping, bought together with Reality - the logistics wing of the company handling the White Arrow transport and the call centre business.

When they bought the GUS business they formed a holding company - March UK - to hold the GUS assets, pending DTI competitions commission approval for the proposed merger.

Presumably, the proposed merger will be for easy-to-understand reasons - to save cost through the economies of scale, through some centralisation of resources and eliminating duplicate functions - that probably means cost cutting to you and me.

But what of the other scenario. What happens to March UK if the merger is not given the go-ahead?

Will the Barclays shut down the Worcester-based company? Will they struggle on in some way? Will they try to sell it off as a going concern?

Not a happy scenario whatever the outcome.

An answer has been promised by TUesday, December 23.

It could be a very bleak Christmas for the whole community if the campaigners fail.