Nearly 700 jobs are at risk at Waitrose as the grocery chain announced plans to close six stores and pare down its management structure.
The retailer, part of the worker-owned John Lewis Partnership, is consulting staff at the affected stores – which are in Hertford (Bircherley Green Shopping Centre), Staines (Two Rivers Shopping Centre), Leek (Portland Street), Huntingdon (St Benedict’s Court), Cardiff (Queen Street), and north London (Palmers Green).
The organisation is also scrapping the role of department manager in its 350 stores. Most will become deputy store managers, it has been reported, but the move still threatens 180 jobs, which Waitrose hopes to shed over three years through turnover, retirement and voluntary redundancy.
But 600 jobs will be created with the opening of new stores at Winchmore Hill, north London – a nearby replacement for the threatened Palmers Green store – Haywards Heath, Banbury, Bromsgrove, Finchley and Addlestone.
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It has already opened new branches in Leatherhead and Faringdon, Oxfordshire.
Retail director Ben Stimson said: “While closing branches is always something we’d want to avoid, like any retail business we review our shops’ performance regularly and take action where needed.
“We will be consulting with our branch partners over the coming weeks on these proposed closures and will make sure they have all the support they need.”
Figures from Kantar Worldpanel on Tuesday show that Waitrose enjoyed up 3.4% sales growth year on year in the 12 weeks to January 29.
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