Costa Coffee May Cut 1,650 Jobs As Virus-Hit Forces Restructuring

By Dave Simpson
Costa Coffee May Cut 1,650 Jobs As Virus-Hit Forces Restructuring

Costa Coffee has said that a plan to deal with the hit to its UK stores from the COVID-19 health crisis could result in 1,650 people losing their jobs.

The coffee chain, which employs approximately 16,000 people across 1,600 wholly-owned stores in the UK, said that its plan includes removing the role of assistant store manager in the UK business.

"While trade is returning, helped by the Government's VAT reduction, which Costa passed on to customers in full, and the recent 'eat out to help out' scheme, there remain high levels of uncertainty as to when trade will recover to pre-COVID levels," Costa said.

Alternative Roles Where Possible

Costa said that it will seek alternative roles within the business for those at-risk where possible and will provide support for those leaving the business.

Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, Costa operates in 31 international markets, with over 2,700 coffee shops in the UK and Ireland and more than 1,200 shops globally.

News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.

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