Dixons Carphone to slash 800 jobs in management overhaul

Electronics chain becomes latest retailer to let staff go in brutal year for UK high street

Dixons Carphone is to cut 800 management jobs as part of a plan to streamline the company. The electronics chain, which owns Currys PC World, becomes the latest high street name to shed staff in a brutal year for UK retailers.

The announcement comes less than five months after Dixons Carphone unveiled plans to close all 531 of its standalone Carphone Warehouse stores in the UK, with the loss of 2,900 jobs.

In its latest round of cost-cutting, Dixons Carphone will remove retail manager, assistant manager and team leader roles, introducing new sales manager, customer experience manager and operational excellence manager positions in stores.

Chief operating officer, Mark Allsop, said he wanted to create a “flatter management structure and make it easy for our customers to shop with us, however they choose”.

He added: “This proposal will ensure in-store roles are focused on giving a seamless customer experience and exceptional service across all our customer channels, whether online or in-store.

“Sadly, this proposal means we have now entered into consultation with some of our store colleagues. This was not an easy decision and we’ll do everything possible to look after those colleagues we can’t find new roles for, financially and otherwise.”

Profits halved to £166m in the year to 2 May as Dixons Carphone battled poor sales of mobile phones while coronavirus-induced restrictions hit revenues at its stores.

The company has been dealing with a longer-term trend for people to replace their smartphones less frequently as the price of handsets has increased.

Its announcement comes on the same day that Pizza Express said it would close 67 branches, putting up to 1,100 jobs at risk.

Further cuts are expected at restaurants and retailers this year as many consumers continue to shun high streets and shopping centres due to fears about Covid-19.