B&Q to make 220 head office staff redundant
DIY retailer B&Q is to make 220 staff redundant at its head office in Hampshire.
The job losses are part of a new structure being introduced at the company which will also see 100 new head office roles being created.
The affected staff members were informed of the job cuts this morning as B&Q began a 90 day consultation period.
B&Q said in statement: “A very different approach to creating this new organisation structure has taken place over the last few months and everyone in the team has been involved in this approach to create a more customer focused, agile, omni-channel retailer.
Never Miss a Retail Update!“The new structure includes many new and different roles and changes to ways of working to ensure that B&Q is building sustainable jobs for the future and planning for growth. As a result of the new structure, 100 new head office roles are being created but there will be 220 redundancies, and these people are being consulted today.”
B&Q has told staff affected by the redundancies that they will be given enhanced redundancy packages which go “way beyond” statutory requirements.
Fraser Longden, B&Q’s people director said: “We recognise this is a difficult time for everyone and thank everyone for their contributions to the business and this process; these changes are fundamental to creating sustainable jobs and the future growth of the business.”
Kingfisher, the owner of B&Q, reported a £30 million fall in the group’s first half profits last month as the unseasonably wet weather in the period impacted sales of gardening, leisure and outdoor maintenance products.
