The Very Group to cut 141 roles as part of tech restructure

The Very Group has announced it is set to cut 141 roles from its head office and customer care teams as part of a restructure which will also see around a 100 roles created elsewhere.

The only retail group, which operates brands such as Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.co.uk, will further expand its digital capabilities by creating over 100 new roles, with half of those in technology.

At the same time, the company is proposing to reduce the number of existing roles by 141, comprising 106 roles in its head office and 35 in customer care. The business said it will “support its impacted colleagues throughout this process”.

In addition, The Very Group said it will be introducing a series of measures aimed at retaining the “digital ways of working and increased levels of flexibility and autonomy” that its colleagues have enjoyed and that have “proven effective” over the last three months.

This will include a combination of remote and on-premise working that will result in the need for less office space in the Merseyside area. As a result, the group is proposing that 500 customer care colleagues currently based at its Aintree site in Merseyside will relocate to the company’s Liverpool head office later this year and the Aintree site will close by summer 2021.

Henry Birch, group CEO at The Very Group, said: “Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, we adapted quickly and successfully to continue serving our customers, including setting up our customer care team to work from home. I want to thank all of our colleagues for their hard work and commitment during this exceptionally challenging time.

“As we look to the future, we need the right team structures, working practices and environments to enable us to meet the opportunities and tackle the challenges that lie ahead. That means reshaping our business and bringing in new people and skills to enhance our capabilities.”

He added: “Unfortunately, that also means that we will be making a number of existing roles redundant. In making these changes, we are committed to supporting our impacted colleagues through what we know will be a difficult time and will work closely with our recognised trade union, Usdaw.”