A large-scale national social plan was announced this Tuesday, November 5 by the management of the Auchan group. Nearly 2,400 jobs are threatened. In Perpignan, fourteen positions will be eliminated in the Porte d'Espagne hypermarket.
Faced with financial difficulties, the management of the Auchan group presented to its employees, this Tuesday, November 5, 2024, a vast social plan. It plans to close three warehouses, as well as around ten stores throughout France. In total, 2,389 positions are eliminated. Three hypermarkets are affected in Clermont-Ferrand Nord (Puy-de-Dôme), Woippy (Moselle) and Bar-le-Duc (Meuse). In Cantal, in Aurillac, a supermarket is under threat. No closure of the brand's stores in the Pyrénées-Orientales, where Auchan is present in Perpignan and Latour-Bas-Elne. The Porte d'Espagne hypermarket is still affected: fourteen positions should be eliminated.
“It's a huge shock“, laments Nathalie Prieur, member of the Central Social and Economic Committee. “We've been feeling it coming for several weeks, but we didn't expect such an announcement.“, regrets the one who was in the Lille suburbs this Tuesday to attend the announcements from the management of the group owned by the Mulliez family. In the Porte d'Espagne hypermarket, “the positions of twelve electronics and consumer appliances sales advisors, as well as a planning manager and a sales manager, disappear“, according to Nathalie Prieur.
We are told that payroll is too expensive
If this Wednesday morning, an exceptional social and economic committee was organized in Perpignan to announce the news, the employees' future in the company remains uncertain. “In the coming weeks, the unions will try to negotiate so that those who want it can be reclassified internally.“, explains Christian Astrou, elected to the CSE Force Ouvrière. A situation that is all the more difficult to live with as “most of those affected are between 45 and 65 years old. If they find themselves unemployed, it will be very difficult for them to turn around. Our role is to support them as best as possible for the future“, she says. And adds: “This is not going to be an easy task. The ggroup is doing badly economically, turnover is decreasing and we are told that payroll costs too much“.
This new social plan comes after the announcement last July of the reduction in the surface area of several stores throughout France. The reason for this is a turnover down almost 5% over the first six months of the year. For Christian Astrou, representative FO “dSince Covid, consumption patterns have changed and people like places that are too big less and less.“Moreover, the Porte d'Espagne hypermarket should lose 2,500 square meters of commercial space and as much in reserve, by 2026.”We are in permanent tight flow. We had 800 employees around thirty years ago, there are only 440 today. Of which barely 340 are full-time equivalent. With the announcements from management, things are not getting better“, worries Nathalie Prieur.
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