MORE than 1,000 jobs are under threat following the sale of Reality to the millionaire Barclay brothers.

Reality, which incorporates the former Kays of Worcester, has a call centre in Newtown Road and a distribution centre in Bransford Road.

Parent company GUS has sold its entire home-shopping and Reality operations to the Barclay brothers, who own Littlewoods, for £590m.

While the new owners say business will stay as normal for the next two to three months, they are not ruling out later job losses.

A spokeswoman for Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay said overlaps existed with the Littlewoods business, but it was "too early" to say where cuts might be made.

"No jobs will go immediately, but longer term we can't say for sure," she said. "There will have to be changes, but Littlewoods see this as an opportunity and believe it's saving jobs because the alternative could have been total closure."

The Barclay brothers - the Sunday Times Rich List's 34th richest men in Britain - planned to "reinvigorate" the declining home-shopping market.

A former Reality employee, who did not want to be named, said the sale had been "inevitable" and followed a period of "down-sizing", which had resulted in 23 job losses.

"People will be feeling very nervous and uncertain. I find it sad that a company started in Worcester more than 200 years ago could be on its last legs.

"Hopefully, the Barclay brothers will be able to save the company from continued decline."

MORE than 1,000 jobs are under threat following the sale of Reality to the millionaire Barclay brothers.

Reality, which incorporates the former Kays of Worcester, has a call centre in Newtown Road and a distribution centre in Bransford Road.

Parent company GUS has sold its entire home-shopping and Reality operations to the Barclay brothers, who own Littlewoods, for £590m.

While the new owners say business will stay as normal for the next two to three months, they are not ruling out later job losses.

A spokeswoman for Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay said overlaps existed with the Littlewoods business, but it was "too early" to say where cuts might be made.

"No jobs will go immediately, but longer term we can't say for sure," she said. "There will have to be changes, but Littlewoods see this as an opportunity and believe it's saving jobs because the alternative could have been total closure."

The Barclay brothers - the Sunday Times Rich List's 34th richest men in Britain - planned to "reinvigorate" the declining home-shopping market.

A former Reality employee, who did not want to be named, said the sale had been "inevitable" and followed a period of "down-sizing", which had resulted in 23 job losses.

"People will be feeling very nervous and uncertain. I find it sad that a company started in Worcester more than 200 years ago could be on its last legs.

"Hopefully, the Barclay brothers will be able to save the company from continued decline."