Major retailer to axe UK customer service jobs in overseas move – local jobs to go

John Lewis and Waitrose are making UK-based customer service employees redundant as part of plans to move operations overseas, with dozens of staff set to leave their roles within the next six weeks.

Affected workers say customer service functions are being transferred to South Africa for Waitrose and Morocco for John Lewis, with the final UK staff expected to leave in 41 days’ time.

The changes involve outsourcing background customer service operations to third-party call centre provider Foundever, which has worked with the John Lewis Partnership for nearly two decades.

Employees said they were first informed of the proposed changes on 7 January, with a formal consultation process beginning on 14 January and due to run until March. The timetable means the final staff are expected to leave after around 41 days, which reflects the minimum consultation period required under UK redundancy regulations.

Under employment law, companies proposing large-scale redundancies must consult affected staff for at least 30 days before any dismissals take effect, giving employees the opportunity to raise concerns and explore alternatives.

Employees said they were told some roles could relocate abroad temporarily as part of a “working holiday” scheme to help train overseas staff.

“They wanted some of us to go out there to train them up to our standards,” one employee said. “We all said no at the consultation.”

Staff also claim they are being encouraged to use up all remaining annual leave before their notice period ends, something several workers say they are resisting.

Under the proposals, all affected roles in the UK will be made redundant, ending long-standing customer service teams that many staff say had provided in-house support for years.

A spokesperson for Foundever said the changes were part of a review of how services are delivered.

They said: “Foundever has partnered with John Lewis Partnership for nearly 20 years, helping them design and deliver customer-centric services. As part of our ongoing commitment to offering a high standard of customer experience, we regularly review how services are delivered. As a result of this, we are proposing to transition roles from the UK to other global locations.

“All affected employees have been informed, and Foundever is providing support, including exploring redeployment opportunities within the business. Customers will not be impacted by this process, and service continuity for John Lewis Partnership’s customers will be maintained.”

Employees, however, say the move marks the end of an era for UK-based customer service teams within two of Britain’s best-known retail brands, with fears growing over the long-term future of domestic support roles in the sector.

Several staff said morale has fallen sharply since the announcement, with many describing the situation as distressing after years of service to the company.

The John Lewis Partnership has not yet commented.