Almost 10,000 retail jobs lost in first three weeks of 2020
Almost 10,000 retail jobs have already been lost in the first three weeks of 2020, following a string of store closures and restructurings.
New research published today showed that 9,940 jobs have been cut following store closures at high street chains.
Supermarkets including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have also announced plans to axe back office and management roles. Iceland yesterday revealed it has launched a review of its management structure.
The research by the Centre for Retail Research and Altus Group — which does not take into account new retail roles created during the period — signals a gloomy start to 2020 for the UK high street following a challenging year in 2019.
Last week the British Retail Consortium (BRC) released figures that showed that the UK retail sector shed 57,000 jobs in the fourth quarter of last year, following what has been described as the “worst year on record” for the sector.
The total number of retail employees fell 1.8 per cent year on year, in the 16th consecutive
quarter of decline, the latest research indicated.
Full-time employment fell three per cent last quarter, while the number of part-time jobs declined 1.2 per cent during the “golden” period of Christmas trading, the BRC said.
Figures published earlier this month showed that UK retail sales dipped in the three months to December 2019, as the amount spent and quantity bought fell 0.9 per cent and one per cent.
However, research published today showed that consumer confidence was boosted in the final quarter of last year, which retailers will hope helps to drive up sales.