How to get back on track after several complicated exercises? Auchan, which represents 8% of mass distribution in France, presented this Tuesday morning to staff representatives a draft social plan which threatens a total of 2,389 jobs in France. Ten stores deemed unprofitable will close: three hypermarkets in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), Woippy (Moselle) and Bar-le-Duc (Meuse), a supermarket in Aurillac (Cantal) and six convenience stores. The closure of three warehouses providing direct home deliveries in Paris, Lille and Lyon was also announced. In total, 915 positions will disappear in stores and warehouses.
“More agile and autonomous”
For the management of the northern brand, it is a question of being “more agile and more autonomous”. The headquarters located in the North are not spared: 784 positions will disappear, but 205 will be created to support the brand's new strategy. Thus, the drive will be developed with 114 job creations.
Auchan is also counting on the purchasing alliance with Intermarché to lower product prices and try to win back customers. This is not a degrowth project, assures the boss, Guillaume Darrasse, at the head of Auchan for six months, and who hopes to limit the number of redundancies to favor retraining, reclassification leave and a plan voluntary departures.
The largest social plan in the history of Auchan
But the unions denounce the largest social plan in the history of Auchan and are already calling on the company to make very significant efforts to support employees who will lose their jobs. Auchan Retail had already announced in September 2020 the elimination of 1,475 positions in France, after a voluntary departure plan of more than 500 positions in January of the same year.
The Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Antoine Armand estimated Tuesday during a trip to Pas-de-Calais that the site closures announced by Michelin and Auchan were “obviously extremely worrying”. The State will ensure that “employment remains at the heart of the group’s strategy”he assured.
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