Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Eurocash Group, one of Poland’s largest food retail and wholesale operators, will close around 150 loss-making Delikatesy Centrum stores and cut up to 3,000 jobs across Poland as part of a major restructuring starting in January 2026.
The changes aim to simplify operations and shift fully to a franchise model, with store closures and workforce reductions affecting retail, logistics and office roles, and the process continuing through 2027, while company-owned stores are to be phased out by the end of 2026.
The job cuts will be implemented in stages, with the first decisions announced in the first quarter of 2026.
Management says employees and partners will be informed in advance, and some staff will remain until the final phase.
The restructuring reflects pressure from rising costs and changing consumer habits, and unions are monitoring the process.
Eurocash is the leading wholesale distributor in Poland, serving tens of thousands of independent shops and operating major brands such as Delikatesy Centrum, Lewiatan, Duży Ben, and Cash&Carry, and has been undergoing network optimisation for several years, most recently in 2022 and 2020, see: Eurocash Group 2022 - PL and Eurocash Group 2020 - PL
Eurofound (2026), Eurocash Group, Internal restructuring in Poland, factsheet number 203924, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203924.