About 1,150 jobs at risk as Sainsbury’s cuts 500 head-office roles

About 1,150 jobs are at risk at Sainsbury’s as part of a restructuring that will cut about 500 head-office roles, the company has announced.

The supermarket said the cuts include a reduction of one floor at its Manchester office and two floors at its site in Holborn, central London.

An online fulfilment centre in Bromley-by-Bow, east London, will also be closed in June, affecting 650 jobs, although the supermarket said it hopes to redeploy most of the staff to neighbouring stores.

It comes a week after rival Asda announced consultations with about 5,000 staff amid its own major shake-up of office operations.

The chief executive of Sainsbury’s, Simon Roberts, said the savings made from the job cuts will be used to reduce prices in stores and invest in more online facilities.

He told staff: “I know change is difficult, but to do the best job we can for our customers, it is vital that we adapt.

“I understand this will be a very difficult time for affected colleagues and we will do everything we can to fully support them.”

He added: “The money we save will enable us to invest in what customers really care about – lower prices, exciting new products and the most convenient ways for them to shop.”