Jarrolds to cut jobs due to rising employment costs

Posted by author February 3, 2025 Jobs

The independent Norwich department store has confirmed it is in the process of making a four roles redundant, as a direct result of last year’s Budget.

Employers’ employment costs are set to rise from April, when both the minimum wage and National Insurance contributions are due to increase.

Jarrolds department store in London Street, Norwich (Image: Jarrolds) Nick Steven Jones, the chief executive officer of the Jarrold Group, said on Monday (February 3): “I can confirm that Jarrolds is in a consultation process with colleagues to discuss a small number of redundancies.

“While Jarrolds continues to outperform many similar retail organisations, everyone will be aware of the challenges our high streets are facing.

“We, like all businesses, are experiencing rising costs, including the cost of employing people as a direct result of the October Budget.

Nick Steven Jones, the chief executive officer of the Jarrold Group, who is also the chairman of the Norfolk Business Board Nick Steven Jones, chief executive officer of the Jarrold Group and chairman of the Norfolk Business Board (Image: Supplied) “While we are always saddened to lose any of our valued colleagues, the need to keep investing and striving for growth combined with managing increased costs means we are forced to take extremely tough decisions to identify where we can make savings in order to secure the long-term future of Jarrolds.”

The last time Jarrolds made significant redundancies was in the summer of 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

A total of 90 members of staff lost their jobs – just under a quarter of the Norwich store’s 400-strong workforce at the time – including the group’s former chief executive Minnie Moll.

It came after the store suffered what Ms Moll described as its “toughest year in retail” thanks to Covid, losing £1m in just three months of closure.

Last year, Jarrolds was named the UK’s best independent department store at the Drapers Independents Awards, and unveiled plans to transform Norwich’s St James Mill into an 88-bedroom boutique hotel.