Waitrose to close London warehouse, 545 jobs at risk
According to Retail Week, around 545 roles will be affected by potential redundancy, and affected staff will enter a consultation with the retailer
Waitrose is reportedly planning to close its delivery warehouse in Enfield this summer, placing over 500 jobs at risk.According to Retail Week, around 545 roles will be affected by potential redundancy, and affected staff will enter a consultation with the retailer. The process is expected to take at least 12 weeks.
A letter sent to warehouse staff from online director Laura Burbedge, and seen by Retail Week, said the site’s lease is due to expire in 2025 and that whilst landlord negotiations were possible, the rent was going to increase.
The letter said: “With this in mind, regrettably we’re proposing to close Waitrose Enfield [customer fulfilment centre] on July 20 and move order volume into Waitrose Coulsdon and Greenford CFCs. This would support the Partnership Plan and save us £8.7m of operating costs, making the overall Waitrose online operations more profitable.”
Waitrose opened the 110,000 sq ft Enfield depot in 2020 as part of its then plans to more than double its online grocery business in London by September of that year.
A Waitrose spokesperson told Retail Sector: “With rental costs at Enfield due to increase and capacity elsewhere in our network, we are considering the closure of the site.
“While not an option we’re exploring lightly, the proposal would maintain our high levels of customer service for Waitrose.com and support future growth. It’s in no way a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our team. No decision will be made until we have fully consulted with all partners at our Enfield site who are being supported throughout the process.”
