Jumbo to cut hundreds of positions

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has announced a major redesign of its organisation, meaning hundreds of positions will disappear. The affected employees will be the first to be considered for new positions, the retailer promises.

Only in own stores

The company will cut the positions of ‘department manager’ and ‘first assistant’, Dutch news channel RTL Nieuws claims based on a letter that staff received. The reorganisation would only affect Jumbo stores, of which there were 322 at the end of last year. In total, the Dutch supermarket chain has almost 700 outlets.

In a press release, Jumbo states that the new store organisation will come into play after the summer. The chain emphasises that no jobs will disappear. “The substance of several positions will change, in which we focus strongly on talent development. Furthermore, some positions will be abolished and will be replaced by more suitable positions. Employees with a fixed contract will have priority when applying for a new position,” is said.

Trade union FNV shows little understanding of the reorganisation plans as Jumbo has a strong year under its belt. In 2020, the turnover of the supermarket chain grew by 15 % to 9.68 billion euros. FNV’s Mari Martens sees it as a move to economise: according to the union, Jumbo wants to use the operation mainly to reduce salaries.