Bentley: 150 staff at risk of redundancy after luxury car giant profits drop to £186.6 million

Car giant Bentley has warned around 275 jobs are at risk as part of a company restructure. The luxury brand employs around 4,600 people in the north of England, but said roles would be affected as part of an "organisational adjustment" to save money.

Around 6% of the workforce in Crewe, Cheshire, could be affected by the cuts, in management, agency and other office-based roles, but not manufacturing jobs.

Bentley chairman and chief executive, Frank-Steffen Walliser, said: “We are making some difficult decisions to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the business, including an organisational adjustment potentially impacting approximately 275 positions. I want to express my sincere appreciation to those affected – we are committed to supporting each individual with care, guidance and assistance throughout this transition.”

News of the cuts came as the iconic car maker announced a 42% drop in annual operating profits to 216 million euros (£186.6 million) as it said it faced “a challenging global market environment”. It said its performance came under pressure due to higher costs from changes at its parent company Volkswagen and a 42 million euro (£36.3 million) hit from US tariffs.

A total of 150 staff have been placed at risk of redundancy, with another 125 roles expected to go by not replacing temporary workers, staff turnover, and not filling some vacancies. The firm is consulting over the 150 redundancies over the next four to six weeks, while the wider role cuts are set to be made by the end of the year.

Karen Lewis, organiser of the GMB trade union, said: “These cuts have come out of the blue and the workforce is stunned. Trump’s tariff’s have hit Bentley hard and the company is still feeling the effects of the Covid lockdown. GMB will stand side by side with members in Bentley to ensure the minimum redundancies and the maximum payouts.”