The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
East of England; Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire; Hertfordshire
Location of affected unit(s)
Hatfield
Sector
Administrative Services Office Administrative, Office Support And Other Business Support Activities Activities Of Call Centres 82.20 - Activities of call centres
200 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
23 September 2020
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
Description
Ocado, the British online grocery retailer, has announced plans to close its call centre in Hatfield in the East of England, putting 200 jobs at risk of redundancy. The compulsory redundancy consultations have already started. The company proposes to transfer the roles to its existing call centre in Sunderland, in the North East region of England, more than 400 km away.
The company said centralising the call centre operations would increase efficiency. Media commentators have noted that the announcement was made soon after Ocado’s share price increased and the company’s sales continued to grow in response to the shift towards online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ocado is an 'online supermarket’ that does not have a chain of physical stores and does all home deliveries from its warehouses. The company employs over 14,000 people in the UK.
Eurofound (2020), Ocado, Relocation in United Kingdom, factsheet number 102108, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/102108.
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