Morrisons has become the latest big four supermarket to announce major cuts to its management as it looks to shake up its workforce and improve customer service.
The retailer is set to axe 1,500 middle-management roles in stores, according to The Guardian, but the retailer said it wanted to create 1,700 new jobs in the process, putting more workers on the shop floor and behind tills.
Consultations with the 1,500 workers, including store warehouse managers, will begin on Thursday.
Displaced staff are being encouraged to apply for the 800 other management roles currently vacant at Morrisons, but at least 700 will be forced to take a pay cut or accept redundancy, The Guardian reported.
The announcement follows similar moves by Sainsbury’s and Tesco, who also unveiled plans to cut thousands of jobs in January.
In December, Asda also announced cuts to 800 senior shopfloor workers as part of a cost-cutting plan.
Morrisons retail director Gary Mills told The Guardian: “Our aim is to serve customers better with more frontline colleagues in stores improving product availability and helping customers at the checkouts.
“Very regrettably, there will be a period of uncertainty for some managers affected by these proposals and we’ll be supporting them through this important process. Our commitment is to redeploy as many affected colleagues as possible.”
The move to slash costs at the major supermarkets appears to have been driven by stiff competition from the discounters and a switch to more online and convenience store shopping.
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