Sainsbury’s, the British supermarket giant, has announced that it will be closing two of its Argos depots over the next three years, resulting in the loss of 1,400 jobs. The depots in Basildon, Essex, and Heywood, Greater Manchester, will be shut down by 2026. This move is part of the company’s plan to integrate its Sainsbury’s and Argos operations in order to cut costs.
The closure of the two depots will affect both Sainsbury’s staff and those employed by an outsourced contractor. Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts said that the decision was “difficult” but necessary in order to make the business “simpler, more efficient and more effective for customers”. He also promised to provide support to affected colleagues throughout the process.
The closure of the two depots follows Sainsbury’s decision to close most of its Argos shops on the High Street in 2020, with 150 of them being moved into Sainsbury’s stores. This resulted in thousands of job losses.
In addition, Sainsbury’s has also announced that its three remaining Habitat showrooms will be closing later this year. This is due to the launch of a replacement digital showroom, which will result in a few job losses.
Finally, Sainsbury’s has said that its office in Milton Keynes will be closing due to the growth of flexible working since the Covid-19 pandemic. The company said that on average only 11% of available desk space was regularly used by colleagues.
Overall, Sainsbury’s decision to close two Argos depots and its three remaining Habitat showrooms will result in a significant number of job losses. The company has promised to provide support to affected colleagues throughout the process.