Morrisons to axe 3,000 roles in stores shake-up

The supermarket giant is slashing the number of people it employs in such management roles and will invest in adding more frontline customer-facing positions.

Morrisons plans to create 7,000 new hourly-paid roles – resulting in a net 4,000 new jobs – across its near-500 store estate.

It said the move is designed to improve customer service and availability in its supermarkets and allow the remaining department managers more time to “concentrate on helping frontline colleagues to do their job and run their stores”. 

Many of the new roles are expected to be on its Market Street butcher, baker and fishmonger counters.

Morrisons is understood to have briefed impacted staff about the proposed changes this morning. It has now launched a consultation over the plans, which is expected to last 45 days.

All staff being made redundant will be given the opportunity to take up one of the new hourly-paid roles.

Morrisons group retail director David Lepley said: “This proposal means more frontline colleagues improving product availability and helping customers.

“While there will be a short period of uncertainty for some managers affected by these proposals, we will be supporting them through this process, and there are jobs available for everybody who wants to continue to work at Morrisons.

“There will also be more roles with greater flexibility that are very attractive to colleagues with families.”

The move adds to what has been a tumultuous start to the year for grocery’s big four retailers.

In the wake of an uninspiring set of Christmas trading updates, Asda put 2,800 back-office roles into consultation earlier this month. The proposed changes will impact administrative, cash office and personnel roles across its 640 supermarkets.

And on Tuesday, Sainsbury’s revealed it was culling “hundreds” of jobs across its central functions as part of a continued drive to integrate the Argos business and drive further head office synergies.

Earlier today, the British Retail Consortium’s latest employment monitor revealed that the number of people employed in retail during the fourth quarter of 2019 fell by 57,000 compared with the same period the prior year. It marked the 16th consecutive quarter of decline in retail’s workforce.