Co-op to cut 10pc of staff at customer support centre

CO-OP plans to cut 400 jobs as the “tough trading environment” prompts it to reduce its costs.

About 10pc of roles will be axed at the company’s support centre in Manchester. The group, which is owned by its own members, said it will provide “dedicated welfare support” to people affected by the changes.

There will be no changes to the Co-op’s customer-facing teams in the food, insurance, legal and funeral homes divisions.

A spokesman said: “At our last set of annual results, we shared that as part of our strategy, making our Co-op more efficient and cost-effective was a priority. The tough trading environment, including rising inflation, means we have taken the difficult decision to bring forward some of the changes.”

Both the grocer Nisa and online furniture seller Made.com have also warned of potential job cuts this week.

The Co-op posted a 3pc increase in revenue to £11.2bn in the year to Jan 1. Profits more than doubled to £57m compared with 2019 but were 55pc lower than in 2020.