Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
UK supermarket chain Morrisons announced they would introduce a new management structure for their stories that will result in 2,600 redundancies. At least one (some stores two) level of store management will be removed. The decision followed pilots of three possible management structures that were tested over the past year.
Morrison's major competitors have similarly announced job cuts and/or management restructuring. The shift to on-line shopping has been cited as one of the reasons for this type of in-store restructuring as well as high competition by discount supermarkets.
As reported, the restructure will have a broad impact on store workers. Estimates of between 14,000 and 15,000 workers will be impacted in some way by the change in the organisational structure in stores. Former roles of departmant managers will be combined together with supervisors. So while the removal of one tier of management will result in redundancies, it will also lead to promotions for 1,000 of Morrison's store managers.
In terms of mitigating the job losses, at the same time as announcing the 2,600 redundancies, Morrisons announced the creation of 4,000 additional supermarket jobs. Morrisons has indicated that the newly created positions will first be offered to those current workers who were made redundant as a result of the removal of the tier of store management.
Updated, 21-07-2014: A further sign of competitive pressure on UK supermarket chain, Morrisons has announced that it has shelved plans to create around 330 new jobs at a new site that had received planning approval in Aberdeen in Scotland. Permission was granted to build the new store in 2012, where a supermarket, cafe and petrol station were earmarked for the site.
Eurofound (2014), Morrisons, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 77265, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/77265.
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