During a quiet weekend for retail news, The Grocer’s sister publication Retail Week this morning revealed Marks & Spencer has begun an investment programme in new and upgraded stores in the north west of England, which are set to create hundreds of jobs. M&S would invest approximately £50m in the region in the year ahead under the plans, and would create about 300 new jobs.
The chairman of P&O Ferries’ parent company DP World gave an exclusive interview to Sky News, in which he said he went ahead with a £1bn investment in the UK despite feeling “discredited” by criticism from a cabinet minister.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said he hadn’t expected the criticism of P&O in 2022 when more than 700 seafarers were summarily fired and replaced by largely overseas workers without consultation as a result of the planned investment in London Gateway, its deepwater port on the Thames Estuary.
Asda is considering outsourcing some jobs to workers overseas in a drive to cut costs, reports The Telegraph. It found the retailer had launched a fresh consultation that could see 26 jobs cut across its customer service team and shifted abroad.
Company bosses hiring in the gig economy could face up to five years in prison if they fail to check if their employees can legally work in the UK, Sky News reports the Home Office as saying.
The employers could also be banned from operating as company directors, have their business closed down, or be hit with fines of up to £60,000 for every worker who isn’t checked as part of the government crackdown.
In high street news, many outlets pounced on the story that Primark boss Paul Marchant has resigned following an allegation by a woman about “his behaviour towards her in a social environment”.
Associated British Foods (ABF), which owns Primark, said following an investigation by external lawyers, Mr Marchant “acknowledged his error of judgement and accepts that his actions fell below the standards expected” by the business.
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