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BL Premium reports that according to Woolworths CEO Roy Bagattini, the number of jobs that have been cut in the retailer’s fashion and home division is very small.
Apparently, Woolworths embarked on a restructuring process in which jobs in the ailing clothing division were shed. Speaking on Thursday, Bagattini said the retailer employed 45,000 people and only “a very small number” of people in the fashion, home and beauty business had lost their jobs. The retailer did not confirm the numbers of jobs cut despite being asked for comment. Woolworths clothing business has been losing market share for years to more fashionable and cheaper competitors. Bagattini said the retailer was working to “repurpose and redeploy” employees in divisions where there were growth opportunities. One place it could absorb staff was in the online division as it has increased its investment in improving its e-commerce capabilities, having historically underinvested in that channel. Job losses in the retail sector come as no surprise after it experienced its worst year on record in 2020. Massmart, the owner of Makro and Game, recently confirmed it might retrench up to 130 people out of just over 19,000 employees in its wholesale division.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive (paywall access only)
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