300 jobs go as Asda makes ‘significant’ work changes
ASDA HAS axed hundreds of staff from its head office in Leeds as it cuts costs amid fierce competition in the supermarket sector.
Affected staff were told yesterday and colleagues said they left the supermarket giant’s head office building with “boxes in hand”.
Asda said the bulk of the 300 job losses will be in Leeds and the affected staff have already left.
The firm said staff will be given compensation packages, but it is too early to say what these will be.
Of the 1,100 affected staff, the 800 who will be kept on will see their jobs change as many will be losing their line manager.
The job cuts have been attributed to the “constantly changing” marketplace of the supermarket sector.
A spokesperson for Asda said: “These changes impact around 1,100 roles across Asda House, in Leeds, and George House, in Leicester, and sadly result in around 300 colleagues leaving us.
“We are making some significant changes to the way we operate our home offices.
“As you’d expect, we have discussed the details of these changes with our colleagues first.”
Asda employs 2,500 staff at its Leeds head office.
The spokesperson said: “In recent years, the competitive landscape in retail has changed significantly and Asda has been no different.
“Our stores have adapted the way they operate to meet the changing needs of our customers, and our home offices must also adapt how they operate to support our stores.
“At Asda we value each and every one of our colleagues. The changes are in response to the ever changing sector in which we’re working and the need to adapt to create an agile business which is fit for the future.”
The news comes after reports surfaced last month that thousands of Asda workers across 18 under-performing stores are facing redundancy or changes to their working hours.
The firm is battling against stiff competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl, which are around 15 per cent cheaper than Asda, itself the cheapest of the big four grocers.