// Waterstones scraps 16 head office roles due to “challenging” trading environment
// The retailer launched a consultation in late July at its London head office
Waterstones has reportedly scrapped 16 head office roles, including four publisher-facing staff in its books team, as it continues to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The British book retailer said category managers Richard Humphreys and Clement Knox, publisher liaison manager Darren Thomson and commercial manager Sarah Callaghan had all left the business due to a “challenging trading climate”, The Bookseller reported.
A further 12 unspecified roles have also been axed following a consultation launched in late July at its head office in Piccadilly, London.
READ MORE: Redundancies at Waterstones HQ as some stores remain shut
The company said the cuts were a “necessary safeguarding measure for the future of Waterstones”.
Waterstones added that the business has reviewed and streamlined the team structure to ensure “close links across departments and to create efficient liaison with shop and stock teams”.
It remains confident that this structure puts it in a good position to deliver “the best possible Christmas”.
Meanwhile, head of communications Sandra Taylor is expected to join the category, events, PR and publisher liaison teams.
The restructured books team now consists of 12 team members.
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