Sainsbury’s could slash 300 jobs in head office shakeup
Retail giant Sainsbury’s could axe up to 300 jobs as it overhauls its tech and head office teams across its supermarket and Argos operations.
The grocery is restructuring its technology and data unit into one dedicated team for Argos and two for Sainsbury’s.
The firm, which employs around 140,000 people, announced it would cut 3,000 jobs and shut all its remaining cafes in January last year.
UK supermarkets have seen a sudden raft of staffing shakeups this week, with Tesco announcing on Wednesday it plans to trim 180 roles from its head office staff.
On Thursday, retail technology firm Ocado Group said it will cut up to 1,000 staff as it tries to make £150m worth of savings.
The staff cuts at Sainsbury’s, first reported by The Grocer, will include a restructure of the Argos delivery network as delivery drivers could see hours cut and warehouse workers may be made redundant.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “By maximising the power of our data and technology, we’re freeing up our teams to concentrate on what matters most – delivering great food, brilliant service and fantastic value for our customers.”
Sainsbury’s confirmed no jobs are at risk among Argos’ delivery driver workforce.
Argos not for sale?
The supermarket attempted to move on from the “trolley war” sparked by Asda price cuts which loomed over the start of last year as it notched 50 per cent share price growth between April and November.
In December a top analyst claimed Argos was being treated like an “unloved child” by its owner Sainsbury’s, following short-lived plans for its sale to Chinese retailer JD.com.
Thursday’s move will reignite speculation that Sainsbury’s is moving to offload Argos, but the supermarket insisted the changes come as a result of the “strong progress” being made by the brand.
“Customers use supermarkets and convenience stores differently, so we’re updating our structures to reflect that,” Sainsbury’s added.