The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Retail Retail Trade, Except Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles Retail Sale Of Other Goods In Specialised Stores 47.75 - Retail sale of cosmetic and toilet articles in specialised stores
600 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
28 January 2021
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
Description
The German chain of beauty stores Douglas has announced the closure of 97 shops and the conversion of another six in Spain, involving the collective dismissal of maximum 600 workers. The restructuring is part of an European reorganisation plan that also involves the centralisation of the management of the Southern Europe area's market operations.
According to the company, the reorganisation of its stores comes as part of its digitalisation process and responds to changing consumer habits, driven by the growth of e-commerce which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CCOO union recognises that the digitalisation process is necessary to adapt to market circumstances, but it claims that the workforce adjustment is not necessary and calls for solutions to protect employment. The company and trade unions are currently negotiating the terms of the collective redundancy plan. The workers' representation is composed of members of the trade unions CCOO, USO, UGT and FETICO. This collective layoff plan comes after the restructuring process in 2018.
Eurofound (2021), Douglas, Internal restructuring in Spain, factsheet number 103611, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/103611.
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions.
European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels.
