Shock as supermarket Lidl planning job cuts ahead of Christmas - 130 positions at risk

While most supermarkets are recruiting ahead of the busy festive season, one retailer is planning on cutting staff. Workers at budget grocer Lidl have been left shocked following news 130 jobs are at risk just weeks before Christmas.

The cuts, coming from its recruitment and HR departments, are in a bid to strengthen Lidl’s ‘business model’, a spokesperson has said. The company is planning to bring its regional distribution centre teams together under one roof, centralising the team at Lidl’s headquarters in Tolworth, south west London. According to The Sun, the move will see 100 new HR roles created based at its head office.

Staff were told of the decision on Friday (October 10) and will go through a 90-day consultation period. Posting to social media platform, LinkedIn, one worker said they were ‘shocked’ by the news.

A spokesperson for Lidl said: "As a fast-growing business with strong momentum, we’ve undertaken a strategic review of our operations to ensure we’re built on the right foundations to support our ambitious expansion plans now and in the future.

"We are proposing to bring some of our Regional HR Departments together into one centralised location at Lidl House. This means some HR roles based at our Regional Distribution Centres may be affected. These proposals are designed to improve the efficiency of our operations, and strengthen our business model.

"The proposals are about simplifying how we work and enhancing support for colleagues as we continue to grow. We know this will be an unsettling time for some, and we are committed to supporting affected colleagues, including exploring alternative roles wherever possible."

Earlier this year, in another announcement about the restructuring of the business, Lidl said it was planning to cut 70 roles from their head office team.