Hundreds of warehouse jobs at risk in plans to close Heywood Argos depot

Hundreds of Argos warehouse jobs are at risk in Heywood, Greater Manchester, after parent company Sainsbury’s said it is to close two depots.

They are in Heywood, and Basildon, in Essex, and involve a total of 1,400 jobs.

And they include support roles with Wincanton, which operates HGV services at the sites.

The closures will take place over the next three years and Sainsbury’s said affected workers would have the opportunity to apply for other jobs within the group.

But Unite the Union warned: “If Sainsbury’s doesn’t drop its closure plans then Unite will pursue all avenues to preserve employment at these sites.”

The closure plans are part of a bigger shake-up across its general merchandise operations which will reduce its key warehouses from five to three.

Sainsbury’s chief executive, Simon Roberts, said: “As with any major change to our business, we have not taken the difficult decision to start this consultation lightly.

“As part of our plan to create a simpler business, we previously set out our intention to integrate our Argos and Sainsbury’s logistics networks.

“Over the last few years, we’ve been working hard to transform this network as we make our business simpler, more efficient and more effective for customers.

“This also allows us to reduce costs, so we can invest where it will make the most impact for our customers.

“We understand that this will be an unsettling time for affected colleagues, and we will support them however we can throughout this process.”

However, Unite the Union said there is no “economic justification” for the announcement today (February 28).

Unite national officer, Matt Draper, said: “Management at Argos/Sainsbury’s has yet to provide any form of business case for the loss of these jobs.

“Unite will be fighting to preserve every job and will put forward an alternative business case to the company to preserve employment at these two sites.

“This is an incredibly wealthy company which should be investing in its loyal workforce rather than dumping workers in pursuit of short-term profits.”

He added: “If Sainsbury’s doesn’t drop its closure plans then Unite will pursue all avenues to preserve employment at these sites.”

Sainsbury’s struck a £1.4bn deal to acquire Argos in 2016.