Why did this article catch your attention?
This article caught my attention because Waitrose have decided to close more of its stores, but it’s the third round of closures in the past year. This round would affect up to 677 jobs.
Where are the affected stores based?
There are seven stores closing, which include:
- Bromley
- Oadby, in Leicestershire
- Wallaton, in Nottingham
- Sandhurst, in Berkshire
- Marlow, in Buckinghamshire
- Stevenage
- West London
When will the Waitrose stores close?
According to this article from the i, all seven stores will close in the Autumn.
What does this mean for the 677 affected Waitrose employees?
It looks like there are two options for the 677 affected employees … Either they take another job within Waitrose or seek alternative employment elsewhere.
Either way, the up to 677 are going to be affected.
If any of the Waitrose employees decide to stay with Waitrose, then I feel that there will be some travelling involved, meaning more time and money are used up.
However, if they decide to decline working with Waitrose for other opportunities, they will become unemployed, which would affect them more. This would affect them financially most of all because they will be able to claim Universal Credit (unemployment benefits) until they have found alternative employment. Universal Credit is at just over £300 per month.
They will be affected mentally and physically as well.
Who else would be affected by this?
There are others who would be affected by this. They include, but aren’t limited to:
Customers – Customers would either have to travel further afield to get to another Waitrose store (which will cost more in fuel and time), do their shopping elsewhere (which could cost more money) or purchase products online (which would be an inconvenience for them, witing for their purchases to arrive at home).
Employees’ families – They may need to lend money to their affected family members, which will need to be paid back.
The Government – For those Waitrose employees who decide not to accept another opportunity at Waitrose, the Government would not receive taxes from them until those affected employees have found alternative employment elsewhere. The Government would also have to pay out just over £300 per month for Universal Credit to each person who decide to seek alternative employment.
What can the affected Waitrose employees do to seek alternative employment?
There are different ways of actively seeking new employment opportunities. Here is a list of things that you can consider doing:
- Different ways of looking for work
- Job Boards
- Composing and maintaining project records
- Researching a Prospective Employer
- Job Boards / CV Websites
- CV Drops (Part 1 and Part 2)
Key employees at Waitrose and Partners
- Heidi Jordan Assoc CIPD, RDC Planning Manager
- Mary Williamson, Distribution Support Manager
- Faisal Ahmed, Manager
To see who else works for Waitrose and Partners, click here!
[ETA]
I have since found another article about Waitrose store closures causing 677 jobs to be at risk.
Jamie's Job Search 
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