ARCHIVED - El Corte Inglés plans to lay off 3,000 members of staff across Spain
Although the closure of one of its stores in Linares, Jaén, on Saturday (February 27) is said to be only "temporary", staff fear it will never re-open
The huge Spanish department store group has seen its turnover seriously reduced as a result of the pandemic and it is also likely to close down some of its shops as part of the cutbacks.
Retailers across the world have felt the blow of the coronavirus pandemic, and even the giants appear to be suffering the effects of a year of lockdowns, restrictions and fear that have led many a spender to take their shopping online.
While recent reports in Spain stated that small businesses have been the worst affected by the crisis, the big boys have clearly been hit too. El Corte Inglés department stores have announced that they will be laying off 3,000 people, 4 per cent of their workforce, in a cutback plan that has already seen one store close in Murcia and is likely to see more go the same way. 2,500 of those who agree to the voluntary redundancies will be shop floor staff from Sfera, El Corte Inglés and Hipercor, and the other 500 from central services, the retailers explained.
The news came just hours before the group closed down one of its stores in Linares, Jaén, on Saturday (27 February). Although the management claimed the closure would be temporary, no date has been given for the centre, which had been running for almost 19 years, to reopen and the 223 members of staff fear they will never return.
The company’s turnover fell by 41 per cent between March and August last year as a result of restrictions and lockdowns, and its travel agency, Viajes El Corte Inglés, saw its turnover plummet by a whopping 90 per cent, according to company accounts.
Image Corte Inglés