John Lewis has denied claims it is set to announce a wave of management job cuts.
It was responding to a report in The Sunday Times at the weekend that 7,000 shop floor staff had been placed into a consultation process.
The retailer said it was planning no further jobs cuts on top of the 153 it had already announced in August.
The move saw affected staff put in consultation over proposed changes to job descriptions and hours worked in John Lewis stores.
“It is wholly inaccurate to suggest there are plans for further role reductions than the 153 previously announced to our partners last month,” a John Lewis Partnership spokesman said on Sunday.
“There are no current plans to reduce management roles at John Lewis.
“The previously announced changes are designed to make the running of our shops more flexible, create more fulfilling jobs for partners and to offer even better customer service by having partners in the right place, at the right time.
“As part of those plans we are seeking to minimise redundancies by not filling vacant roles and securing jobs for partners elsewhere in the business,” the spokesman said.
It comes as JLP prepares to welcome new chairman Jason Tarry, who is set to succeed Sharon White later this month.
After a difficult couple of years of sales decline at both Waitrose and John Lewis, the partnership returned to profit in March.
Following the results, White and partnership CEO Nish Kankiwala unveiled a new turnaround plan that would focus “unashamedly” on the retail basics, like store experience, availability and customer service levels.
The Guardian reported in January that the partnership was preparing to shed as many as 11,000 roles over the next five years as part of the cost-cutting measures. Although JLP has confirmed that job cuts are planned, it has not provided a number. The majority of the changes would come through “natural attrition” it said.
The recently proposed changes to John Lewis partner hours mimic a programme rolled out across Waitrose over the past year, as part of its Simpler Shops programme. The most notable change would be the ending of separate back-of-house and front-of-house roles, with partners being expected to work across all parts of the shop.
Proposals were announced alongside a £6m investment into in-store technology, including partner headsets. Customer service levels and efficiency in stores would improve as a result, JLP said.
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