Sainsbury’s says 300 jobs at risk across stores and Argos

This comes amid a restructure of its technology and data teams and head office changes, the firm announced.

The grocery giant said most of the cuts would impact its technology and data division, as it restructures the unit into one dedicated team for Argos and two for Sainsbury’s.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “By maximising the power of our data and technology, we’re freeing up our teams to concentrate on what matters most – delivering great food, brilliant service and fantastic value for our customers.”

The firm, which employs around 140,000 staff in total, is also rolling out changes across its store leadership, creating four new regional store director roles dedicated to convenience shops, as well as overhauling its Argos delivery model and creating a separate leadership board for the Argos business.

This month, Argos said it would be building a marketplace to give customers more choice.

It said the development would allow customers to shop more brands under one roof, while continuing to benefit from quality, reliability and convenience.

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Argos’ marketplace aims to “reflect its heritage, scale and values” and “will not be an open or unregulated platform”, the retailer said.

Sainsbury’s added that there would be “a clear focus on quality, product safety and customer confidence.”

It added: “Over time, we also believe Argos’ distinctive Click & Collect model is an exciting area to explore and further set the marketplace apart.

“With Fast Track delivery and Click & Collect available across more than 90% of UK postcodes, seven days a week, Argos is well placed to offer convenience at scale as the marketplace grows.”

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Graham Biggart, Managing Director of Argos, said: “Introducing a marketplace within the next year marks an exciting next step in Argos’ multi‑year transformation.

“It reflects what we know customers want – more choice, more convenience and more reasons to shop with confidence.

“With over one billion visits to our website each year and a brand built on value, trust and quality, we see a real opportunity to offer an even wider range of products that complements our core ranges and the highly valued suppliers we work with today.”