Type
Internal restructuring
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
Sector
Retail
Retail Trade, Except Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles
Retail Sale In Non-Specialised Stores
47.11 - Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating

3,500 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
5 November 2020
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date

Description

Sainsbury’s, the British retailer has announced a restructuring programme which puts 3,500 jobs at risk of redundancy in Sainsbury’s supermarkets and Sainsbury's Argos stores across the UK.

In the supermarkets, all meat, fish and delicatessen counters will be closed, due to lower customer demand and a 'desire to reduce food waste', said the company’s chief executive officer. In addition, 120 Argos stores, which have been closed since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the UK, will shut permanently. Further 300 Argos stores will be closed by 2024.

The CEO said that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated change that was already underway, with the proportion of online sales doubling compared to 2019.

J Sainsbury is the largest retailer in the UK. It has three divisions: Sainsbury's Supermarkets (the UK’s second largest supermarket chain), Sainsbury's Bank, and Sainsbury's Argos since the company acquired Argos, the catalogue and online retailer in 2016.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), Sainsbury's , Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 102580, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/102580.