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LONDON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - British electrical retailer Dixons
Carphone said it planned to cut 800 jobs to create a
leaner management structure across its stores in the UK and
Ireland, adding to the 2,900 roles it said would go back in
March.
The company, which has 24,000 employees in the UK and sells
mobile phones and tablets as well as white goods, said that it
had started consultations with the affected employees.
In mid-March, before the coronavirus pandemic caused Dixons
Carphone's main UK market to go into lockdown, the company said
it would close all 531 standalone Carphone Warehouse stores and
shed 2,900 jobs.
Those closures were aimed at turning around its loss-making
mobile phone business, which slumped as customers changed their
handsets less regularly.
The company said in its statement on Tuesday that it was
committed to its remaining stores, which compliment its growing
online offering.
In April, it said strong online sales were making up for
around two-thirds of the store sales lost during lockdown.
The latest job losses come as Britain's retail industry
battles with the pandemic. Marks & Spencer, health and
beauty chain Boots and the upmarket department store
Selfridges have in recent weeks announced plans to cut thousands
of jobs between them.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Estelle Shirbon and Kate
Holton)
Marks & Spencer (MKS)