Fresh redundancies add to UK jobs cull

A spate of redundancies have been announced by leading UK companies, continuing a grim week for job losses.

Lloyds Bank, insurance giant Direct Line and fashion brand Ted Baker were among those axing jobs.

Union leaders voiced concern about the continuing jobs cull, saying they would do all they could to support affected workers.

Lloyds said 780 fulltime branch jobs were being cut, just weeks after it announced plans to shut a further 56 bank branches this year.

Unite said the job losses provided more evidence of the bank’s “profits over people culture”.

Direct Line signalled 800 job losses across its UK business as the company alters its operations to deal with more online customers.

Ted Baker unveiled plans to cut 160 jobs as part of a turnaround plan following a tough 2019, expecting to axe 102 staff already in the company and remove a further 58 roles which are currently vacant.

The proposed cuts, which will mainly affect its head office, come after a wide-ranging strategic review and are aimed at saving £5 million in the current financial year.

Frankie & Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group said it plans to close up to 90 restaurant sites by the end of next year.

The dining firm said the closures will impact sites across its leisure portfolio, which includes the Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito brands, and comes after it exited 18 sites in 2019.

The closure plan comes amid a tough period for casual dining chains, with rivals such as Jamie’s Italian collapsing over the past year.