Hundreds of jobs set to go at catering supplier
ABIG employer in Bristol is planning to axe up to 800 jobs as the company struggles with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Avonmouth-based catering equipment business Nisbets, which employs 1,500 staff in the UK and Ireland, has started a 45-day consultations process with affected staff.
The restructure is part of a plan to reduce costs after “unprecedented” market pressures caused by the pandemic, the company said.
Redundancies will be “from all levels of the business”, according to Nisbets, but the final number will depend on the consultation period.
Peter Sephton, senior board director of Nisbets, said: “Nisbets is a strong business but we are sadly not immune to the extreme difficulties that are facing the whole of the hospitality industry right now.”
He added: “These are difficult decisions being taken in unimaginable circumstances, but our priority during this process will be to treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect. Throughout the consultation, our aim is to safeguard as many jobs as possible.”
The announcement comes as the hospitality sector battles for survival following the virus outbreak and tens of thousands of restaurants and hotels remain closed as part of the UK lockdown.
Nisbets said the restructure is part of a “renewed strategic focus” across the business addressing changes in the hospitality sector such as restaurants moving towards more deliveries and takeaways.
The company added it had already launched more than 100 new products in a bid to meet demand.
“We are known for listening to the market and developing innovative new products in response,” Mr Sephton said. “Even in this difficult environment, many of our customers are reinventing themselves and changing their proposition.
“As we go into the most difficult period the business has faced, meeting these new needs now and in the future by launching new products will be the key to our success, and I’m confident this new, streamlined operating model will help us to do that.”