Asda to Create 3,500 Section Leader Jobs

ASDA to potentially cut over 4,000 managerial roles & create 3,500 section leader jobs in their stores.

ASDA have said that they are restructuring their head office support and back office support and looking at reducing managerial roles and replacing these roles with section leader jobs in store and additional shop floor staff. As part of it though another different 1,500 managerial roles will be created.

The manager’s part of this restructure will be offered to do the section leader roles but in some cases these roles will be very different and may not appeal to some people. ASDA have decided that they need more staff in front of the customers and this is the need for these changes.

ASDA have been trialling its new model in 20 hot stores and these stores are now performing better than they expected so it is time to think to the future and make these changes now.
ASDA have seen a big increase in customers doing Click and Collect therefore by increasing the number of section leaders, it allows them to be able to deal with the increase of shoppers wanting to do their shopping in this way and coming into the store to collect it rather than through delivery.

The consultation period has just started at ASDA so at the moment it is unclear of how many staff will leave or how many will change to the new roles. Any employment losses will more than likely be in the north as this is where ASDA has more stores.

ASDA have stated that they have returned to growth in the 15 weeks to April 20 and that their like for like sales rose by 0.1 % showing that they had some growth over the Christmas quarter when overall sales slipped by 0.1%.

ASDA and the other big four supermarkets are all feeling the squeeze by discount retailers ALDI and Lidl and upmarket rival Waitrose.