Coca-Cola Enterprises job losses to hit pub delivery service

The move, which has been described as “a devastating blow” by Unite the union, comes as CCE believes it needs a “more efficient way of distributing products”.

The Direct Store Delivery system is used by the foodservice sector to have products delivered direct to outlets. CCE plans to end this towards the end of the year, by which time it will have put an alternative distribution service in place. Until then, there will be no changes.

The sites impacted will include Bristol, East Kilbride, North London, Northampton, Sidcup and Wakefield.

CCE said it has started a full consultation on the proposals with our employee representative bodies and Unite.

“Following a strategic review, we are proposing to end our direct delivery service in Great Britain,” said a CCE spokeswoman. “This service is primarily used by foodservice outlets and we have identified the need for a more efficient way of distributing our products to these customers.

“We do not make these proposals lightly and we will, of course, be looking to minimise redundancies as far as possible and will offer support to help colleagues through this process.

Unite said it will be “seeking greater clarification of the full impact”. Of the 288 workers facing redundancies, 160 are Unite drivers and warehouse workers.  

Unite national officer for food and drink Jennie Formby said: “This news will be a devastating blow for our members and their families, especially in the current economic climate of austerity, welfare cuts and now rising unemployment.

“It is too early to make a detailed analysis of the announcement. However, our immediate priority must be to get full details of the reasoning behind this decision and to examine what alternatives there could be for our members.”

The foodservice industry also includes cafés/sandwich shops, catering operations, and many other formats. It does not include multiples and convenience stores.