Dixons Carphone to cut 800 jobs through store management changes

Tech retailer Dixons Carphone is to cut 800 jobs as it changes the way its stores are managed.

The company, which owns Currys PC World, has already started to consult with the affected staff, as it begins to remove roles from its stores.

Retail managers, assistant managers and team leader roles will be cut at the company, while new sales manager, customer experience and operational excellence manager positions will be created.

Some employees will be moved to its virtual ShopLive personal shopping service, where customers are given advice from sales staff at home via a video link.

Dixons Carphone chief operating officer Mark Allsop said: "We remain committed to our stores as part of an omnichannel future, where we offer the best of online and stores to our customers.

"As part of this, we want to empower our store leadership teams, create a flatter management structure and make it easy for our customers to shop with us, however they choose.

"This proposal will ensure in-store roles are focused on giving a seamless customer experience and exceptional service across all our customer channels, whether online or in-store.

"Sadly, this proposal means we have now entered into consultation with some of our store colleagues. This was not an easy decision and we'll do everything possible to look after those colleagues we can't find new roles for, financially and otherwise."

The announcement comes almost four months after the company closed all 531 of its standalone Carphone Warehouse stores, making more than 2,900 people redundant.

Earlier on Tuesday, PizzaExpress announced it was looking into closing 67 of its restaurants - with 1,100 jobs at risk.

It blamed the move on the "significantly more challenging environment" caused by the coronavirus pandemic.