New Look head office staff face new redundancies

New Look employees are facing redundancy once more, as the retailer continues to restructure as an omnichannel and digital first business. This time it is the retailer's head office roles which have come under scrutiny.

Over the past few years New Look has reduced its real estate portfolio by almost 50 percent, from 800 stores to just over 400 stores, as it focuses on its growing e-commerce sales.

As reported by Drapers, the retailer said in a statement: “New Look has changed significantly in recent years, having accelerated our ecommerce-business and reduced our store estate. As such, we have reviewed our operating model and structures, and we are making certain changes to our ways of working, to better reflect and support the growth of our omnichannel business.

“As part of this, we are proposing changes to our team structures, which regrettably, we expect to impact some roles at our Weymouth and London support centres. We will shortly be entering a consultation period with affected colleagues and our priority is to support them during this time.”

New Look, in its last annual report published in August 2022, said its investment strategy is focused on enhancing its omnichannel model, rather than boutique expansion. In the last financial year it closed 42 UK stores and opened 11.

The company's sales suffered during the pandemic due to government enforced retail closures, although it returned to profit last year. In June CEO Nigel Oddy announced he was stepping down, with the retailer appointing Helen Connolly to chief executive shortly after.