Jobs to be axed at John Lewis head office in Bracknell
John Lewis has announced it will axe up to 1,500 jobs, which will include staff at its head office in Bracknell, Berkshire.
The retail giant, which runs John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, is looking to save £50 million by reducing the size of its head office teams (based mostly in central London and Bracknell) by almost one third.
The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) currently employ just under 80,000 people and is attempting to save £300 million by 2022.
The roles are planned to be cut by April 2021.
The announcement comes months after it revealed plans to shut eight John Lewis stores with the loss of 1,300 jobs and the closure of four Waitrose stores in a move which hit 124 jobs.
In September, the group also told staff they would not receive a bonus for the first time since 1953 after it dived to a £635 million pre-tax loss for the six months to July, following a £470 million writedown on its stores.
The partnership said that the latest cuts are part of an efficiency plan designed to “create an agile and flexible head office” which is closer to customers and frontline staff.
JLP said it will now be consulting with affected partners about the cuts and will seek to find new roles elsewhere in the company where possible.
Sharon White, chair of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “Our partnership plan sets a course to create a thriving and sustainable business for the future.
“To achieve this we must be agile and able to adapt quickly to the changing needs of our customers.
“Losing partners is incredibly hard as an employee-owned business.
“Wherever possible, we will seek to find new roles in the partnership and we’ll provide the best support and retraining opportunities for partners who leave us.”