Staff are unhappy about pay and conditions

Neil Holden, Lancashire Organiser of the GMB union, said members at the depot in Wigan voted by a narrow margin on Thursday to accept the new offer.

But he warned that management and unions would have to work harder to unite the divided workforce.

The union's first walkout was planned for 16 December followed by four more in December and one in January.

New offer

The strike action could have hurt JJB Sports' Christmas plans as the warehouse supplies all of its 430 shops across the UK.

Mr Holden said workers had voted by 51.7% to 48.25% to accept a new offer from management.

"It means both the management and ourselves will have to work harder in 2006 towards a common pay structure," he said.