Aldi Cuts Hundreds of UK Head Office Roles
Aldi has spent the year cutting prices, and its UK growth has still slowed. Now the budget grocer is trimming hundreds of head office roles as part of a worldwide push to reduce costs.
Slower sales despite lower prices
Industry data from Worldpanel by Numerator shows Aldi's UK sales rose by only 0.4% in the 12 weeks to 1 November. Its market share slipped by 0.1 percentage point over the year.
Prices fell in that period: Aldi's average unit price dropped 0.1%, which made it the only retailer to lower overall prices. The chain also says it put £300m into cutting the cost of 900 UK products this year.
Rivals have closed some of the gap. Several traditional supermarkets now match Aldi on price for key items, and they offer a much wider range of other products.
Where the job cuts fall
The latest round hits the technology team, where up to 150 roles are in consultation. It follows 103 redundancies in finance and administration in 2026, along with almost 20 among buying directors.
Store jobs are untouched. Aldi did confirm a slight reduction in regional managers, which affects a handful of highly paid posts.
Work moves to the centre and abroad
The German-owned group is centralising more work, which means smaller local country operations. Finance, procurement and administration tasks are being outsourced to India and other countries under a deal with Genpact, a company that helps businesses use AI technology.
Sources say consultation on payroll redundancies is due to start in the coming months. Agency cleaners at the Atherstone head office in Warwickshire have also had their hours reduced recently.
What Aldi and staff say
An Aldi spokesperson said the company constantly reviews its international operations so they run simply and efficiently. Changes are phased in after a consultation period, and colleagues get as much notice as possible plus full support.
One affected worker called the cuts "shortsighted" and described senior management as out of touch with reality.
The company's stated promise to shoppers is good products at low prices. It says it is making some adjustments to how parts of its UK business are structured.
Aldi is not the only grocer cutting jobs. Morrisons reduced its head office workforce by hundreds in the spring, shortly after Sainsbury's removed 300 as it restructured technology and delivery. Tesco laid off a similar number as it changed how it ran its bakeries, and Asda said in the summer that as many as 1,000 jobs were in danger as it automated more of its logistics operation.
Source: the Guardian