Morrisons to axe 1,500 staff as supermarket announces huge shake-up
Several household names have embarked on job cutting drives recently, including supermarket giants Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda
MORRISONS is slashing around 1,500 shop floor roles as it becomes the latest supermarket to announce large-scale job cuts.
As part of the changes, the supermarket revealed its intention to erase the position of warehouse managers in every store.
Simultaneously Morrisons said it will create 1,700 junior jobs.
It is understood that the affected workers will be given the opportunity to apply for around 800 vacancies in Morrisons stores.
Still, this means that about 700 employees face redundancy or a lower paying job.
The supermarket giant said the shake-up is part of a restructure that would see more customer service staff and fewer managers.
Morrisons retail director Garry Mills said: "Our aim is to serve customers better with more front-line 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."
Morrisons is the latest supermarket to shakeup its workforce as the retail sector struggles to adapt to changing shopping habits, soaring business rates and the rapid expansion of budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl.
Earlier this week, B&Q said it is to swing the axe on 200 head office jobs as part of a cost-cutting drive at the DIY retailer.
It also comes just days after Sainsbury's announced plans to shake up its management, putting thousands of jobs at risk in the process.
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The supermarket is consulting with staff over plans that will see a number of senior in-store posts slimmed down and replaced by fewer management roles.
Earlier this month, Tesco revealed its intention to simplify operation, putting 1,700 roles at risk, in the latest effort by the UK’s biggest supermarket chain to cut costs.
BARGAIN FOOD Shoppers spend £15 less at Lidl and Aldi than big four supermarkets for large grocery shops
Hundreds of Asda workers are also facing a pay cut or redundancy as part of a cost-cutting plan.
Under the proposals, set to come into effect this year, 842 section leaders could be removed from store management teams.
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