Iceland puts 240 jobs at risk after investing in other sites

HUNDREDS of jobs are at risk at an Iceland depot in Wales.

Some 240 jobs are at risk at the Deeside warehouse in Flintshire for the budget frozen food company. The site is a warehouse distribution hub for Iceland products but run by logistics company GXO.

GXO has informed staff that their jobs are at risk after Iceland decided to invest in increasing the capacity of its sites in Swindon and Livingston ad well as creating a new base in Warrington. According to GXO the Deeside site will become a “third-party storage facility”.

As a result the 240 jobs at the site are at risk and a consultation is set to start. One worker, who asked not to be named, said staff have been left devastated at the news.

They said: “It’s really upsetting. People I work with were white and visibly shaking yesterday.

“We are already in a cost-of-living crisis and struggling. Now people will lose their jobs.

“[Iceland chief executive] Richard Walker is out there in the media talking about the impact of the cost of living crisis on families in the UK and at the same time workers here now face losing our jobs - piling on the pressure for us in the crisis.

“We all worked hard for them during Covid and stayed when many were offered more money to go elsewhere during the shortage in the logistics sector but now we are looking for jobs and there is nothing out there for us. “It’s honestly heartbreaking.” A GXO spokesman said: “Following a strategic review of the Iceland distribution network GXO is proposing repurposing the Deeside depot as a third-party storage facility effective as of April 1.

“The decision follows significant investments by Iceland over the past three years to increase the capacity of its Swindon sites and Livingston retail distribution centres (RDC) and to create the new RDC in Warrington, which are expected to help the company meet all of its current and projected operational needs.

“GXO will initiate consultations with the Deeside depot employees the week of February 6, 2023, with the process taking a minimum of 45 days.

“GXO will take every step to minimise the impact of this change on its employees, offering redeployment to the wider GXO and Iceland distribution networks as well as support with finding external opportunities.”

Iceland was asked to comment.