2,000 roles are said to be at risk at Tesco as the retailer restructures store management and some head office functions.
In what it has acknowledged as ‘a difficult but necessary decision to make’, Tesco has introduced a new efficiency plan, including a revised in-store management structure. The store changes will put over 2,000 roles at risk.
The retailer has been introducing the new management structure over the past two years in approximately 350 of its smaller superstores and will now extend the scheme across all its larger superstores and Extra stores. Around 1,800 new shift leader positions will be introduced in these locations, reducing the overall number of lead and team manager roles. Manager roles will be realigned, focusing on overall store performance.
Tesco said: “We are supporting colleagues impacted by these changes, who will have the option of moving into shift leader vacancies with financial support or taking redundancy.”
In an update to store layouts, all remaining food counters and hot delis will close from February 26th, with the spaces set to be repurposed ‘to better reflect customers’ needs’.
Tesco added that a small number of roles in different functions of Head Office would also be removed, and that the Tesco Maintenance National Operating Centre (NOC) in Milton Keynes is set to close. “Taking into account all the localised changes, we expect this to impact around 350 roles across the business,” the statement claimed.
Tesco UK and ROI chief executive Jason Tarry commented: “These are difficult decisions to make, but they are necessary to ensure we remain focused on delivering value for our customers wherever we can, as well as ensuring our store offer reflects what our customers value the most.
“Our priority is to support those colleagues impacted and help find alternative roles within our business from the vacancies and newly created roles we have available.”
In October last year, Tesco said it would be losing 325 of its head office staff as it looked to cut costs after profits plunged 64%.
