Unilever said the cuts would be “predominantly office-based”. It didn’t offer a geographic breakdown of the cuts or detail of the type of roles involved, but many are likely to be at its global headquarters in Victoria. The firm has 6,000 staff in the UK and a global workforce of 127,000 people.
The cuts are part of “a comprehensive productivity programme,” to save €800 million (£684 million) over the next three years. The shake-up is led by new boss Hein Schumacher, who took over from Alan Jope last year. Schumacher set the stage for the cuts when Unilever reported its results last year, repeatedly calling the company’s performance “disappointing”.
Schumacher today said: “We are very aware of how unsettling this will be for our people around the …