BOLTON has an important part to play in the development of a new company launched by Great Universal Stores.

Reality is a major £400 million business, based in Manchester, designed to exploit a growing demand from organisations who sell directly to the UK public.

It brings together 20,000 people working throughout GUS in established e-commerce, customer care and logistics services.

More than 1,100 GUS employees in Bolton and Farnworth are now part of the new business.

It operates locally in Thynne Street, Beehive Mill and Farnworth.

Activities include Catalogue Bargain Shops (Lorne Street and Beehive), customer services and the call centre at Thynne Street plus White Arrow Express warehouse and heavy goods depots at Beehive and Farnworth.

There are also various service and administration departments across the sites.

White Arrow Express, which has 38 parcel depots in the UK, delivers parcels for companies including Readers Digest and the QVC cable shopping channel.

It is the UK's biggest parcel-to-home delivery company.

The Bolton call centre is one of a network of seven around the country already servicing external business.

Reality says customers -- including new dot com companies -- are now offered a wide range of services ranging from design and hosting of a web-site, customer services and telemarketing through the call centres, warehousing and delivery of goods to consumers.

A spokesman said: "Reality means a lot for the staff in Bolton.

"This initiative, marketing the existing expertise more vigorously to a wider customer base, will help safeguard existing jobs and enable future expansion."