The German distribution group Aldi has announced the closure of 31 stores under its Leader Price banner and has promised to reclassify their 240 employees, a union source said, with management indicating for its part that sites "will be sold".
"Despite the promises to keep Aldi management in employment throughout the negotiations for the takeover of Leader Price, Aldi France management has just announced a first round of closures of 31 stores," writes the CGT Commerce, majority union at Leader Price, in a press release.
#JoyeusesFetes for the employees of #LeaderPrice and #Aldi! #CGT #Emploi pic.twitter.com/P5q8XMmhEF
- CGT CommerceServices (@CGT_Commerce) December 22, 2020
"The objective is to bring together our network of Aldi stores in France and that of Leader Price, which are geographically very complementary".
Stores, "for reasons of competition or too close to our network, will not be converted and will be sold," admits Aldi management, without specifying the number of sites concerned.
Rumors of other closures
These closures were announced by the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) on December 10 and should take place at the end of July for 40% of them and at the end of September for 60%, specifies Laurent Lemoult, CGT union representative of Leader Price Exploitation.
"Management is committed to reclassifying the 240 employees" of these stores, he says.
“We want to keep all jobs […].
Employees will naturally be supported and will benefit from internal mobility within the Aldi network ”, underlines the group's management.
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Laurent Lemoult also ensures that the CGT was informed of "leaks about a total of 130 stores" intended for closure, including a hundred Leader Price stores not forming part of the Leader Price Exploitation subsidiary, whose scope includes 119 stores on more than 500 Leader Price sites in France.
"According to our estimates, 1,500 employees are in complete uncertainty as to their future within Aldi," writes the CGT Commerce on this subject.
Aldi's takeover from retail giant Casino of 545 Leader Price stores, two Casino supermarkets and three warehouses was formalized on November 30 for € 717 million.