STAFF at a Stourbridge dry cleaners face an uncertain future after Johnson Cleaners announced it is to close more than a third of its stores this year.

Johnson Service Group - the UK's largest dry-cleaning firm - plans to shut 109 of its 307 Johnson Cleaners branches as part of a bid to move away from traditional high street locations towards collection and delivery points in supermarkets.

The company has a popular drive-to outlet off Amblecote High Street but it is not yet known whether it is among the branches that will be axed.

Johnson, which closed more than 100 branches in 2012, said the dry-cleaning business failed to grow sales last year despite initiatives to reach new customers.

The firm, which plans to launch an online home collection and delivery service for higher value or bulky items, has not yet revealed how many jobs will go but the planned closures may affect more than 400 staff across the country.

Most stores set for closure have leases expiring within the next two years, with renewal not seen as financially viable.

A Johnson spokesman said: "We are commencing a consultation exercise with affected employees and anticipate that branches will close during the first half of the year.

"The remaining 198 better-performing premium branches are in more convenient locations with an infrastructure capable of receiving dry cleaning from various collection and delivery points."