Sainsbury’s puts 300 jobs at risk under restructuring plans

Many of the affected roles will be in the retailer’s technology and data teams, restructuring it into one dedicated unit for Argos and two for Sainsbury’s, as first reported by The Grocer. 

There will also be changes to Sainsbury’s store leadership, with four new regional roles being created for its convenience stores. 

The wider changes are part of the retailer’s ongoing strategy to slash £1bn in costs over three years, which was first announced by the retailer in 2024. 

The news comes one day after Retail Week reported that Tesco would be shaking up its head office functions to place more focus on quick commerce and online as well as its customer and personalisation capabilities, putting as many as 180 jobs at risk of redundancy. 

Much like its rival, Sainsbury’s enjoyed a strong Christmas trading period, reporting growth of 4.9% in the 16 weeks to 3 January, 2026, with grocery sales up by 5.4%. Trading during the final six weeks of the period was up by 4.6%.

The retailer has also announced sweeping changes to the way its Argos business is run, with Sainsbury’s announcing the creation of a dedicated non-executive board for the general merchandise specialist.

It comes after Retail Week revealed on February 9 that Argos would be launching its own third-party marketplace, and had appointed Timo Scherbaum as director of the marketplace from international electricals giant MediaMarkt.

The initiative comes as Argos drives forward a transformation plan led by managing director Graham Biggart, who is also chief strategy officer of Argos’ owner Sainsbury’s.

A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: “As we gear up for year three of our next level plan, we’re strengthening our focus behind both Sainsbury’s and Argos.

“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.”