Luxury department store Selfridges has announced plans to cut 450 jobs, reducing its workforce by 14 per cent, to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to staff, group managing director Anne Pitcher said it was “the toughest decision we have ever had to take”.
“Nobody imagined when we started the year that things would unfold like this and lead us to having to make such momentous decisions,” she said. “It is a huge responsibility and I appreciate how incredibly unsettling receiving this news today must feel, prompting all sorts of thoughts and emotions.”
Anne also stressed that 2020 will be “the toughest year we have experienced in our recent history” and recovery would be slow. “As you would expect at such a critical time, we have been carefully examining every aspect of our business – our structures, our costs, our ways of working – from top to bottom, leaving no stone unturned to ensure we are fit for purpose and the future. This has involved reviewing all non-essential expenses as well as pausing projects and initiatives where prudent to do so. The task ahead is significant and, as we look to reinvent retail and prepare to build back, we will need to go further.”
The retailer operates four stores: two in Manchester, one in Birmingham and the London flagship in Oxford Street.
