ASOS seeks job cuts, launches staff consultation

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 1, 2022

ASOS is seeking to cut around 100 jobs as its new CEO works to turn around the company that’s faltered in recent periods.

The stock exchange-listed fashion e-tail giant has confirmed that it’s launching a 45-day consultation process for a number of roles and this is set to begin next week.

The confirmation comes after Retail Week first reported the move.

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The 100 job cuts are a relatively small number compared to the roughly 3,300 people the business employs, but it’s nonetheless a reflection of how important efficiency and cost control are to new CEO José Antonio Ramos Calamonte who recently reported a £32 million pre-tax loss at the business.

The company called the cuts “tough but necessary”.

Like others in the e-tail segment, ASOS had boomed as lockdowns meant physical store closures. Yet the return to a level of normality saw consumers not only reining-in their online purchases but returning many more items than they had been doing.

This change came along with massive supply chain disruptions caused both by the pandemic and by the war in Ukraine, as well as the cost-of-living crisis and growing eco awareness that meant consumers thought twice about buying new fashion products.

It means a rethink is a necessity for ASOS and it’s a process that’s also being seen at a number of other fashion e-tail businesses at present.

Retail Week reported that ASOS won’t be offering voluntary redundancy as it hopes to redeploy staff where possible.