all the companies axing staff amid coronavirus

Kier – unknown

Construction firm Kier has announced more job cuts as the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has reduced revenue and raised net debt. The contractor expects to reduce costs by £100m by next June. It had previously been looking to reduce costs by £65m by next June, the majority of which comes from cutting 1,200 jobs. The company has not confirmed how many extra jobs have been lost.

Laura Ashley – 2,700 jobs

Laura Ashley filed for administration in March after the struggling retailer failed to secure £15m of emergency cash to stay afloat, putting around 2,700 jobs at risk. Laura Ashley blamed coronavirus for its decision.

Le Pain Quotidien – 200 jobs

The British arm of the bakery chain Le Pain Quotidien was sold in a pre-pack deal that cost 200 jobs.

LHG Hotels – 1,500 jobs

Hotel group LHG announced in August that it plans to cut some 1,500 jobs from its workforce as the company looks to cut costs in response to the coronavirus crisis. LHG runs hotels under brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Hallmark.

LinkedIn – 960 jobs

The employment networking site, owned by Microsoft, has announced that it will cut 960 jobs, equivalent to around 6pc of its global workforce. The company stated that reduced demand for its recruitment products as a result of coronavirus was the primary motivation behind the decision.

Lloyd’s Banking Group – 865 jobs

Britain’s biggest high street bank has revived its restructuring plans by axing 865 jobs, months after it revealed gloomy forecasts for the UK economy. 

Lloyds Banking Group will begin shedding the roles from November, although the cuts will be partially offset by the creation of 226 new jobs. Like most of its rivals, the bank froze the shake-up due to the coronavirus crisis but is now reigniting its original plans. Those affected were told earlier in the year they would not lose their jobs before October. 

London City Airport – 239 jobs

London City airport has said that it plans to cut some 239 jobs, equivalent to 35pc of staff, after the airport began a consultation as part of a major restructuring.

Chief executive Robert Sinclair said: “We have held off looking at job losses for as long as possible, but sadly we are not immune from the devastating impact of this virus.”

Luton Airport – 250 jobs

The airport, London’s fourth largest, has started consultations with unions to sack 250 jobs – almost 30pc of its workforce – after forecasting a 70pc drop in passenger numbers this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

M&Co – 380 jobs

M&Co has confirmed plans to permanently close down 47 stores and axe 380 jobs as part of a major restructuring via a pre-pack administration deal to secure its long-term future.

Manchester Airports Group – 900 jobs

Britain’s biggest airport owner, Manchester Airports Group, has warned its staff of plans to axe nearly 900 jobs due to the pandemic.

Passenger levels have fallen by 90pc since the beginning of lockdown, the airport operator, which also owns Stansted and East Midlands airports.

Proposed job cuts would see 465 jobs go at Manchester, 376 disappear at Stansted and 51 axed at East Midlands, subject to union discussions.

Manpower UK – unknown

Recruiter Manpower UK has warned that job cuts among its own 1,800 staff are looming as Covid-19 shatters the employment market.

Mark Cahill, its UK boss, said that the firm, which has placed “hundreds” of its staff in the Government’s coronavirus job retention scheme, could be forced to shed workers as support for employers starts to be wound down at the end of next month.

Marks & Spencer – 7,000 jobs

Retail giant Marks & Spencer has said it plans to cut around 7,000 jobs over the next three months across stores, regional management and its support centre.

M&S said the plans came after seeing a “material shift” in trade.

McLaren – 1,200 jobs

Woking-based supercar and Formula 1 racing business McLaren announced in May that more than a quarter of its workforce, around 1,200 jobs, will be slashed. McLaren has been particularly hard hit because the pandemic has halted the Formula 1 racing season, which accounts for a large chunk of its earnings.

Mears – 200 jobs

Housing services and construction firm Mears has warned it may have to make job cuts. The firm is set to consult with up to 10pc of its 5,000-strong workforce, with fewer than 200 jobs expected to go.

Meggit – 1,800 jobs

British engineering company Meggitt plans to shed about 1,800 jobs as part of a cost-cutting scheme to cope with a contraction in the world’s air travel market due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Monsoon Accessorize – 500 jobs

Fashion chain Monsoon Accessorize is to make more than 500 staff redundant after being bought out of administration. 

Around 450 jobs have been transferred to new group company Adena Brands, while 35 shops have permanently closed with the loss of 545 jobs. 

Mulberry – 500 jobs

Almost 500 jobs are at risk at Mulberry as it takes drastic measures to slash costs during the coronavirus crisis.

The upmarket handbag maker said it was being forced to cut staff because the pandemic had hit demand for its products while retail remains closed in the UK.

National Trust – 1,482 jobs

Almost 1,500 jobs are due to go at the National Trust as it seeks to slash £100m from its annual costs.

It had already warned of 1,200 redundancies in July 2020, and has since made 514 redundancies after consultation. The UK charity has also said 782 employees have taken voluntary redundancy, as part of measures aimed at saving £59m a year. Another 162 people lost their jobs due to postponed or abandoned projects as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

NatWest – 550 jobs

NatWest has said it will cut up to 550 jobs in bank branches and will close a major London office as it grapples to adapt to the post-Covid world. The taxpayer-backed bank has asked branch staff to apply for voluntary redundancy following dramatic shifts in customer behaviour during the crisis.

News UK – unknown

Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News UK, wrote to staff on the Sun and the Times titles to announce that “in the coming months, we will need to streamline the business and take some tough decisions, saying goodbye to some valued and talented colleagues”. It is not known exactly how many staff will be let go.