Asda puts 261 jobs at risk with site closure

SUPERMARKET giant Asda has put 261 jobs in the firing line over plans to axe a home delivery packing centre in north London.

The Walmart-owned grocer is mulling the closure of the Enfield Home Shopping Centre, which provides home delivery services to around 4,500 customers per week.

Simon Gregg, Asda’s vice president of grocery home shopping, said the chain would redeploy some staff to nearby stores if it presses ahead with the plans. He said: “Despite great efforts by our colleagues at Enfield, restrictions on the site mean we are not able to make the necessary further improvements to meet the speed of fulfilment and product ranges that our customers now expect.

“Therefore, we’ve entered a consultation process with colleagues on proposals to close the facility.”

Asda has drawn up the proposals after launching two automated home delivery packing centres in Dartford, Kent, and Heston in London. It said this investment has created 700 new jobs and bolstered capacity.

Keith Dixon, from the GMB union, said it was “disappointed” that Asda had taken these steps after receiving “reassurances” that there would be no depot or store closures.

It comes as Sainsbury’s and Asda look to seal a £15bn tie-up, creating a grocery colossus with a bigger market share than Tesco.