Asda reviews 5,000 store jobs

The supermarket said the number of store workers involved in the consultation did not reflect the number of possible redundancies and many staff would be redeployed.

The​ Guardian​ has reported that 1,000 jobs were at risk, but an Asda spokeswoman dismissed the figure as “completely speculative”.​ ​

45-day consultation​ 

Last week Asda announced that it had entered into a 45-day consultation with about 5,000 store workers as part of its Project Renewal. 

The proposals include closing or selling photo centres, removing the selling champion role in stores and closing George clothing desks. 

Asda was also looking at removing its ‘create your own pizza’ counters from smaller stores, changing its pharmacy hours and closing staff canteens. 

‘Tough year for supermarkets’​ 

An Asda spokeswoman said in a statement: “2015 was a tough year for UK supermarkets and Asda is no exception.​ ​

“The structure of UK grocery retailing has permanently changed to reflect the way that customers shop today.​ ​

“We know our customers better than anyone else and we need to make sure that our offer meets their changing needs. ​ ​

“We have entered into a consultation with our store colleagues on proposals which we believe will enable us to react more quickly by becoming a leaner and more agile business.​ ​

“These proposals are designed to make our stores easier to shop in and be more effective in delivering the low prices, quality and good value which customers tell us they want.”​