John Lewis cut 3,800 jobs in past year to reduce costs

The John Lewis Partnership has revealed that it cut 3,800 roles across the company in an effort to reduce costs.

The number of employees at the Partnership fell to 70,500 at the end of January down from 74,300 the previous year.

As first reported by the Telegraph, the job losses were largely down to attrition across the company, with the company choosing not to replace workers who had left.

The cuts coincided with the retailer saving roughly £26m in employment costs during the year.

This figure was also bolstered by the company’s decision to not pay staff bonuses.

The majority of cuts came in Waitrose shops, with an average of 49,600 staff working in the supermarkets in the period, down from an average of 52,700 the year before.

The partnership has indicated it will further cut staff numbers, with management reportedly mulling up to 11,000 redundancies.

Waitrose has come under fire for offering staff a reduced redundancy package after proposing a higher payout back in January.

A spokesperson for the company said: “The reduction in roles has been largely through natural turnover. We’ve made significant progress in the last year to transform the business and return it to profitability; we’re investing record amounts in our retail brands and we expect profits to grow further next year. Our improved performance has been supported by our customers’ love for John Lewis and Waitrose, with an increasing number embracing our Partner-led service.”