Thermal clothing giant Damart plans to make up to 50 staff redundant at its premises in Steeton and Bingley.

The mail order company, which has 700 workers across the two sites, this week said it had begun a consultation process with staff.

A spokesman said staff numbers had to be reduced by up to 50 in order to increase the company's efficiency in today’s competitive retail environment.

Damart has its warehouse, mail and print centre on an industrial estate off Station Road, Steeton, and a call centre in Bingley.

In 2010, Damart celebrated 30 years at the Steeton premises, which was originally a warehouse to store stock and dispatch customer orders. In recent years the premises were expanded to encompass the company’s mail and print centre, which distributed more than 45 million catalogues and direct mail items each year to customers across the UK.

At the time of the 30th anniversary, director Andy Hill said a number of Damart employees had been with the company since it opened the warehouse.

The previous year had been Damart’s most successful ever, partly thanks to a freezing winter that saw sales rising by 20 per cent.

In 2008, Damart recruited 40 extra staff for its Bingley call centre, and the following year reported a turnover approaching £100 million.

The company’s growth came after new management, working practices and equipment were introduced to turn the company around from its loss-making position earlier that decade.