Sainsbury’s is to make a raft of changes across its technology and data, store leadership and Argos teams to support the next stage of the supermarket’s Next Level strategy, The Grocer can reveal.
It is understood the changes could result in around 300 roles being reduced across Sainsbury’s and Argos from its total workforce of around 140,000 colleagues.
Among the changes, the grocery giant will be updating how its technology and data teams are organised, with one dedicated team for Argos and two for Sainsbury’s. It will also be consolidating routine reporting tasks into a new business intelligence hub, which will allow colleagues to focus on more insight-led and commercially focused work, it said.
To better reflect the different shopping missions for supermarkets and convenience stores, Sainsbury’s is also updating its store leadership structures. It will be creating four new regional store director roles dedicated solely to convenience, with one in the north, one in central and two in the south.
This aims to give supermarkets a clearer leadership line and help both formats respond faster to feedback and sharpen execution.
Given the “scale of opportunity” in general merchandise, the supermarket is creating a dedicated board for Argos, which will be led by Graham Biggart in his managing director role and will be overseen by the Sainsbury’s operating board.
The grocer will also be evolving the Argos delivery model by restructuring its local fulfilment centre teams and reducing the amount of overtime needed across its driver network, increasing the use of standard shift contracts. This looks to ensure the Argos delivery network and its same-day home delivery service remain “efficient, smooth and reliable”.
“As we gear up for year three of our Next Level plan, we’re strengthening our focus behind both Sainsbury’s and Argos,” a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said. “By maximising the power of our data and technology, we’re freeing up our teams to concentrate on what matters most – delivering great food, brilliant service and fantastic value for our customers.”
The changes come as Sainsbury’s enters the third year of its Next Level strategy, which was launched in February 2024. At the time, the supermarket giant unveiled plans to target £1bn in cost savings over the following three-year period.
Changes so far have seen Sainsbury’s creating more space for food in many locations by reallocating some space which had previously been occupied by general merchandise and clothing.
It has also undergone a range improvement programme across its convenience store estate and has made significant changes to its operating board to strengthen leadership across customer experience, technology, commercial and sustainability.
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