C&A management announced thirty store closings in France, or 200 jobs at risk, during a central works council meeting on Friday January 17, 2020.
–
-
C&A management has announced 30 store closings in France, 200 jobs threatened. | PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP
–
–
–
The decision dates back to Friday January 17 but was not communicated until Wednesday January 22. The C&A clothing brand plans to close thirty stores. Two hundred jobs are threatened.
The Dutch group has highlighted a drop in turnover in France. It is the second job-saving plan announced in less than a year, after fourteen store closures implemented in April 2019.
Difficult reclassifications
The goal is to re-classify as many employees as possible, but it is sometimes very difficult, given the distance from the stores.
, in April, explained Maria Rodrigues, central union steward FO.
The outlook is bleak for an aging population, with many employees over 50 who have spent their entire careers at C&A
, she added.
C&A owned nearly 160 stores and 2,800 employees in France before the April 2019 closure wave.
An “unclear strategy”
The group had however increased its logistics a few years ago, before suffering a drop in sales since 2016, according to Maria Rodrigues, who deplores a unclear strategy
.
C&A management confirmed this closure plan in order to be able to adapt to the requirements of a constantly evolving textile distribution sector, and return to profitability
. On January 17, C&A sent documents to the Central Works Council concerning a new network adaptation project, which could lead to the closure of 30 additional stores
.
A family business
C&A (initials of the brothers Clemens and August Brenninkemeijer) has been a family business for six generations. A historic family as the only shareholder who is nevertheless among the biggest fortunes in Europe, but at what cost?
, questions FO Commerce in a press release on Wednesday.
In a context of downsizing in distribution (Carrefour, Conforama, Auchan, etc.), the textile and clothing sector has been particularly weakened with a drop in consumption over the past two years and a rise in online commerce. Several chains have reduced the wing in recent months like New Look and Pimkie.
–
– –
