Asda confirms job losses at Leicestershire head office

Ben Carr
·2-min read
File photo dated 21/02/08 of an Asda store.
-Credit: (Image: PA)


Hundreds of Asda staff in Leicestershire and Leeds are set to be made redundant. The supermarket has said today (Wednesday, November 6) that 475 roles will be lost from its head offices in the two areas.

In a message to employees, Asda said it would be “redefining roles and accountabilities to remove duplication” and to “simplify structures”. A spokesman for the supermarket said it could not say how many jobs would be lost at George House in Magna Park near Lutterworth.

Asda said the redundancies made up less than 10 per cent of the total number of colleagues who work in its Leeds and Leicestershire head offices. From January 2025, the supermarket will also require every head office employee to come into the office for a minimum of three days per week.

READ MORE: Leicester drivers to be hit by weeks of closures along ‘busy’ city road

In an update to staff, chairman, Stuart Rose, and board member, Rob Hattrell, said some staff would be leaving Asda from this week. It said: “Asda has seen much change over the last three years as we seek to build a bigger and better business.

“The rollout of Asda Express, the creation of Asda Rewards and the investment in the Future programme are key examples. Over the last two months, we have, alongside the executive team, reviewed our progress.

“We have to recognise that the market is challenging and the competition isn’t standing still. With the future programme due to be completed in 2025, it is now time to ensure that the business is best placed to meet our longer-term ambitions. We have rightly taken the decision to invest in our stores, focus on improved availability, enhanced customer experience, alongside a stronger trade plan."

George House Lutterworth
George House in Lutterworth will see job losses -Credit:Google

Mr Rose and Mr Hattrell said the decision would allow Asda to "deliver a more flexible and fast-moving" home office structure for staff by "removing duplication and simplifying structures". "We need colleagues to be more empowered in their decision making as we deliver for customers," they said.

The update also said that Asda's changes would allow them to become "closer" to their stores and depots and allow them to deliver "clear accountability and ownership" as well as "simplified ways of working".

Asda added that change was “never easy and unsettling” but that the supermarket believed it was “necessary to enter 2025 in a stronger position, fully focused on serving our customers, delivering our ambitions and driving long-term growth.” Fixed-term contractors, who are working on the company's "IT transformation project", are also set to leave over the "course of the next few months", Asda said.

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