Sainsbury’s has announced a major management restructure that will hit thousands of staff, as it looks to strip costs from the business.
It is understood the supermarket plans to axe the roles of deputy manager, department manager, team leader and store supervisor as part of the changes.
Deputy managers are set to be replaced with a smaller number of operations managers.
Other management roles are being combined under a new title of customer and trading manager.
The move came less than 24 hours after Tesco revealed more than 1,700 jobs were under threat, in its own management shake-up.
Sainsbury’s is looking to slash costs by £500,000 in the next three years.
“We’re proposing a store management structure that will deliver best in class leadership and, in many cases, will offer an improved reward package for new management roles,” said Sainsbury’s retail and operations director Simon Roberts.
“The proposals will introduce a more efficient and effective structure, designed to meet the challenges of today’s retail environment. They will deliver cost savings to be invested in our customer offer and in our colleagues as they continue to provide the very best service for our customers.
“Our intention is not to reduce overall headcount as a result of these proposals.
“I appreciate this will be a difficult time for those affected and we will fully support our people through these changes.”
The management changes will affect Sainsbury’s stores across the UK and its Bromley-by-Bow online fulfilment centre.
Usdaw national officer Joanne McGuinness said: “This is a big upheaval for Sainsbury’s managers, supervisors and team leaders. We will be entering into consultations with the company on behalf of Usdaw members affected by these changes. We are providing Usdaw members with the support, advice and representation they require through this process. Our priorities are to minimise redundancies and help our members stay employed in a suitable role if they choose to do so.”
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