Heinz was sold in June to Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital in a $23.3bn (€17.4bn) deal. The new owners did not indicate that there would be layoffs at the time of the acquisition, but nor did they say that jobs would be retained.
A week ago, the company announced 600 job cuts across the US and Canada – about a third of its local workforce. The UK and Ireland job cuts would represent just under 10% of Heinz’s 2,600 employees in the region.
Heinz’s senior management team said it had “examined every part of our global business to better position Heinz for accelerated growth in a very competitive global market.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, it said it was proposing “a new streamlined structure for Heinz UK & Ireland.”
“Unfortunately, the proposals may result in a number of difficult organizational changes, including the elimination of 248 office positions across the UK and Ireland. We regret the impact this may have on Heinz employees and their families,” it said.
“…The difficult actions we are proposing to take will, if implemented, better position the Company to support and fund our next chapter of growth while further strengthening our world-leading brands. Our new organizational structure will simplify, strengthen and leverage the Company’s global scale, while enabling faster decision making, increased accountability, and accelerated growth.”
The company added that the proposal is subject to a consultation process with employees and their representatives.
“In the event that after consultation a decision is made to proceed with the proposals, the Company would offer enhanced severance benefits plus outplacement services to help make the transition as smooth as possible, and to help affected employees pursue new career opportunities,” it said.