• The role of price controller will be absorbed by existing store staff
  • Affected staff will be offered roles elsewhere in the business or redundancy
  • The grocer is also cutting night shifts across 140 of its stores

Sainsbury’s is cutting up to 400 jobs across its store estate as it strips out the role of price controller from its operations.

The grocer is scrapping the position, which requires staff to ensure that price labels on shelves are accurate.

Sainsbury’s said the role will now be carried out by other store staff as part of an expanded remit.

Affected staff have entered a 45-day consultation period and will either be offered roles elsewhere across the business or redundancy.

Sainsbury’s is also axing night shifts across 140 of its stores, impacting 4,000 employees who will have to move their working hours to early morning or late evening shifts.

A spokesman for the supermarket giant said: “We regularly review our business to ensure we’re operating as efficiently and effectively as possible and our resources are in the right place, so that we can provide our customers with the best possible service.

“Following a recent review, we are making some changes to administrative roles and night-shift patterns, subject to consultation.

“We appreciate this will be a difficult time for those colleagues affected by the changes and will support them in any way we can.”

Sainsbury’s is the latest in a string of retailers to unveil significant job cuts across its UK operations this year, including John Lewis, Boots and big four rival Tesco.