Argos to cut 500 manager roles

Argos is about to change up to 500 managerial roles and 1,000 staff jobs at its 604 stores, which could lead to a number of redundancies.

The retailer wants to increase the amount of store staff available to customers at peak shopping periods. This will mean that 500 in-store managers will be offered service co-oordinator roles. An Argos spokesman acknowledged that the change could be viewed as a demotion and a number of managers affected may seek alternative roles within the group, or take voluntary redundancy.

In addition, 1,000 store staff will have their hours changed to get more staff in at the evenings and at weekends.

Argos managing director Sara Weller said: 'This is a practical measure to ensure that we are as flexible as possible in serving our customers. Like any responsible business, it is vital that we constantly evaluate our working practices to ensure we are operating effectively and it is important that we identify ways we can provide better service to our customers.'

The move follows a similar strategy by Asda, announced in July, to remove 1,400 head office and store jobs and create 2,250 customer service roles at 279 stores.