DIY chain Focus will announce tomorrow it is cutting up to 600 jobs.

Staff have been told to attend store meetings to hear the details.

A distribution centre will close and jobs will also go at the firm’s HQ in Crewe, Cheshire.

The move follows the slump in the housing market.

A Focus spokeswoman said last night: “Over the last few weeks we have seen unprecedented turbulence in financial markets — but the business has traded well over the summer and has actually gained market share.

“However, in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency, we have had to carry out a review of the business.

“This will lead to some job losses in stores.”

The Sun revealed six weeks ago that Focus’s rival Homebase had drawn up plans that could see hundreds of staff offered redundancy.