// Central England Co-op has proposed plans to close three warehouses and a garage, putting 400 roles at risk
// The group has given “an early commitment” to offer alternative roles to the staff affected within Central Co-op and the Co-operative Group
Central Co-op is set to close three of its distribution centres, putting almost 400 jobs at risk.
The convenience retailer has proposed to close its 3 distribution centres in Leicester and a garage on the outskirts of the city in Whetstone in order to transfer distribution operations to the Co-operative Group.
It is understood staff in Leicester and Whetstone were told of the proposed redundancies this week and approval has been reached for it to join the LIDIA network from 2024.
LIDIA is a national collective distribution and logistics operation owned and operated by the Co-op Group on behalf of its own stores and independent Co-operative stores in the UK.
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Usdaw national officer, John Gorle said: “This is devastating news for staff affected by the company’s proposal, our members are deeply concerned about their future employment prospects,”
“We will now enter into a period of meaningful consultation where Usdaw reps and officials will interrogate the company’s business case for the transfer of distribution operations.”
Accoridng to the union, Central Co-op has given “an early commitment” to offer alternative roles to the staff affected within Central Co-op and the Co-operative Group.
Gorle added that Usdaw’s priorities include trying to “avoid redundancies and secure the best support package possible.”
“In the meantime we are providing our members with the advice, support and representation they need during this period of uncertainty.”
Central Co-op chief executive Debbie Robinson said:
The commitment and experience of our distribution teams is amongst the best in the logistics industry and they do an amazing job keeping our shops running.
“As we grow and invest in the Society to support communities, we need to be ready for the future and we have now outgrown our current distribution facilities.
I know this is going to be a difficult time for some of our colleagues and our priority will be supporting them and we are able to offer them alternative roles, either within Central Co-op or the LIDIA network.”
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