New Look cuts 390 management roles following redundancy consultation

London - High street fashion retailer New Look has axed close to 400 store management roles following a redundancy consultation.

The consultation, which affected 1,000 out of the retailer’s 19,000 employees, led to 390 store management roles being made redundant, including deputy store managers and sales managers. 430 members of staff have been retained by New Look, but another 100 people have resigned from their role. Another 20 workers reportedly opted for a “deferred” redundancy and are set to exit their roles after covering vacancies, such as maternity leave, reported Retail Week.

The redundancy consultation is said to be part of New Look efforts to re-balance its senior and junior level members of staff at its stores. Following the consultation, New Look is set to hire 250 new supervisors and is reportedly planning to recruit a number of workers from the pool of 390 redundant workers, although the majority of the new vacancies are junior level.

“Following a review launched last year, we completed a consultation process over the summer with affected staff so we could assess the level of management roles in our UK and Republic of Ireland stores,” said a New Look spokesperson to FashionUnited. “We carried this out to simplify and improve the management structure across our UK and Republic of Ireland store estate so that we are better placed to meet the needs of our customers.”

“We worked closely with all of the affected staff to inform of the proposed changes and to consult on potential options for continuing their employment with us,” added the spokesperson. The management redundancies come as New Look continues to undergo a period of significant change. Former chairman Alistair McGeorge has rejoined the company as a consultant to its shareholders and other senior members, including now ex-CEO Anders Kristiansen, have left New Look.

The British fashion retailer currently operates 593 stores in the UK.

Photo: Courtesy of New Look, Facebook