Marks & Spencer has said it plans to cut around 7,000 jobs as the high street continues to take a battering during the pandemic.
The retail giant said the jobs will go over the next three months across stores, regional management and its support centre. The company had already cut 950 jobs in July as it grappled with the early impact of coronavirus.
M&S said it had seen a ‘material shift’ in trade during lockdown, with a reduced number of staff working in both the food aisles and clothing sections of its shops.
The cuts were announced as the retailer revealed a steep drop in sales in recent months.
The company also said the use of new Microsoft technology to aid remote working will allow it to reduce layers of management.
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‘We expect a significant proportion will be through voluntary departures and early retirement. In line with our longstanding value of treating our people well, we will now begin an extensive programme of communication with colleagues,’ M&S said.
It also expects to create ‘a number’ of new jobs as M&S invests in its online capacity.
Chief executive Steve Rowe said: ‘In May we outlined our plans to learn from the crisis, accelerate our transformation and deliver a stronger, more agile business in a world in which some customer habits were changed forever.
‘Three months on and our Never the Same Again programme is progressing; albeit the outlook is uncertain and we remain cautious.
‘As part of our Never The Same Again programme to embed the positive changes in ways of working through the crisis, we are today announcing proposals to further streamline store operations and management structures.
‘These proposals are an important step in becoming a leaner, faster business set up to serve changing customer needs and we are committed to supporting colleagues through this time.’
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