Morrisons has revealed plans to cut 80 jobs at its Hilmore House headquarters, marking the fifth round of redundancies the supermarket has undertaken this year. The move is part of CEO Rami Baitiéh’s wider turnaround strategy aimed at modernising the business and improving its market position.
A Morrisons spokesman explained, “While we are making good progress with our plan to renew and modernise Morrisons – growing sales and our market share, and improving the shopping experience – market conditions remain challenging and we are focusing hard on delivering the best value for customers.”
He added, “In order to maintain our momentum, we’re continuing to review how we operate and have identified some opportunities to streamline our central structures – to reduce complexity, help us work faster and more effectively, and empower colleagues. As a result, we’re proposing some changes across our head office functions to ensure they are better placed to serve our stores and improve service for our customers.”
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Morrisons has begun consulting with the employees affected by the proposed redundancies and has committed to supporting them in finding alternative roles within the company wherever possible.
Earlier this year, Lidl surpassed Morrisons to become the fifth largest supermarket chain in Great Britain. The German-owned discounter grew its sales by 8.8% year on year, achieving a record market share of 8.6% for the 12 weeks ending 17 May. In comparison, Morrisons’ sales increased by 1.3%, with a market share of 8.3% during the same period.
Ryan McDonnell, CEO of Lidl GB, commented on the milestone: “Becoming Great Britain’s fifth largest supermarket is a significant milestone and a clear indication of the momentum we have built. As customer expectations shift, households are looking for value they can rely on without compromising on quality, and we remain laser-focused on delivering exactly that. Achieving this is a testament to the dedication of our colleagues, whose hard work delivers for our customers every single day.”