Retail giant Auchan France plans to axe around 2,389 jobs in France as part of its new social-plan project, according to media reports.
The French retail giant plans to cut 784 jobs at its headquarters and 915 store roles, according to a report in Le Monde.
It includes the closure of around ten stores, which will affect more than 450 jobs and include three hypermarkets and a supermarket, among other outlets.
Moreover, the retailer will also discontinue its direct home delivery business, which will affect approximately 224 jobs.
“This is not a degrowth project that we want to manage – reducing costs is a means, not an end,” the managing director of Auchan Retail, Guillaume Darrasse, told the media.
The company aims to limit compulsory lay-offs by supporting employees at risk by offering retraining, redeployment leave, and a voluntary departure plan, the report noted.
The retailer seeks to add more than 100 positions in its Drive segment and 205 support functions to preserve jobs.
Auchan France
In September of this year, Auchan Retail appointed Darrasse as its new managing director, succeeding Yves Claude.
The appointment was approved by Auchan’s new board, comprising Thibaut Bayart, Bertrand Boré, Fabien Derville, Antoine Grolin, Clara Lorinquer and Serge Papin.
The retailer has teamed up with Intermarché and Casino to create the Aura Retail alliance.
The alliance consists of five operational structures built around purchasing partnerships between the three groups. It will operate for a period of ten years.
The five operating structures of the Aura Retail alliance aim to capitalise on the combined strengths of the three groups and to improve their power in commercial negotiations with major manufacturers.
