Myer culls another 90 head office jobs

Myer will make a further 90 head office jobs redundant in another attempt to lean out its operation.

Myer is set to lose more head office staff. Picture: AAP

The nation’s biggest department store, Myer, will make 90 head office jobs redundant, as it continues to adjust in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks a leaner operation.

The cuts represent around 1 per cent of Myer’s total workforce.

It is understood that Joanne Mercer, who is the general manager of footwear and accessories, is to be among those to go, while Sue Price, who is head of beauty and lingerie, is also departing.

Ms Mercer has worked at Myer for almost 20 years, holding her current role since October 2008.

Before that, her title was founder director head of merchandise and in earlier years she was a category buyer. Tara Broomfield, who ran menswear and womenswear has also departed, say sources.

The news comes with suggestions that Myer is embarking on a refinancing, with advisory firm KPMG in its corner.

Sources close to the department store maintain that KPMG is currently assisting with its supply chain, as well as examining working capital and refinancing solutions.

It comes as Myer, which counts Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments as a major investor, has been in negotiations with landlords, after closing for business during the coronavirus related disruptions around March and April.

The latest round of job losses comes after Myer cut another 35 executive roles at its head office in Melbourne in January, and takes redundancies to almost 200 in the past year as chief executive John King clamps down on costs amid the toughest trading environment in decades.

Myer, like many other retailers, was forced to close its doors in late March and sent 10,000 staff home. Its stores have since reopened and although online sales are booming the retailer is determined to cut its cost base.

In addition to the 90roles cut, a further 50 executives will be redeployed elsewhere in the business as their roles were also eliminated.

As part of the wider review and restructure at Myer it will continue to invest in its online platform and supply chain.

“Given the impact COVID-19 has had on our industry, and the unknown future of retail conditions, we have proactively accelerated plans to refine and adapt our business to reflect the changing retail landscape,’’ a Myer spokesman said.

“As a result, we will be putting a leaner and more agile business model in place to ensure we are best placed to successfully manage the period ahead. This includes refined roles and responsibilities, team structures and simplified reporting lines, which in-turn has unfortunately resulted in a number of management, support and administration roles departing the business.’’

Myer said it had successfully redeployed a significant number of roles within the business to minimise the impact on. ‘’We will provide full support to those team members departing the business and we thank them for their contribution to our business,’’ the spokesman said.