New Look to put 500 jobs at risk at Lymedale distribution centre

New Look is reportedly putting up to 500 jobs at risk after it was forced to shut down night shifts at its lead distribution centre in Lymedale, Newcastle Under Lyme.

According to a report by Drapers, the British retailer was driven to shut down the shifts due to a reduction in its store estate.

Workers impacted by the move will enter into a consultation period, the publication said, with “inevitable” redundancies across the workforce to be announced in mid-May.

The retailer noted it was looking to save 300 positions at the 1,200 employee site by transferring them to day shifts.

It comes as New Look continues to decrease its retail presence, with the company recently confirming it was to close a further six stores in what it called a “normal course of business”.

It currently operates around 440 sites across the UK, a decrease on the 800 stores it owned several years ago, Drapers said.

Speaking to the publication, a New Look spokesperson commented: “New Look has changed significantly over the past few years. We have accelerated our ecommerce business and right-sized our store estate.

“With this shift, it has become increasingly clear that the processes at the distribution centre no longer suit our operational needs.

“Therefore, we are proposing a necessary change to working hours in the distribution centre, including the removal of the night shift. Regrettably, we expect this will result in a number of redundancies at the site.

"We are focusing on supporting our affected colleagues at this time and we expect to be able to offer a considerable number of these individuals new roles on the day shift.”