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Pick n Pay knuckling down

Jul 7th 2011, 11:06

07.07.2011

Pick n Pay knuckling down

This week Pick n Pay announced that it would be retrenching a shade over 3000 employees. I have no doubt that this would have been one of the most difficult decisions that management has ever made, Pick n Pay prides itself on its commitment to its people and its actions have proven time and time again that it goes the extra mile for the team. Unfortunately this has resulted in a workforce that is too big and too unwieldy for the retailer to operate effectively in a highly competitive environment.

The decision to retrench would not have been taken without the best interests of the company at heart, Pick n Pay is not a company that chases short term gains at the expense of its people and this is not an indication of a change. The retrenchments are necessary to remain competitive in a very aggressive period for the food retailing sector and many analysts believe that they should have come sooner. If Pick n Pay are to prosper in this environment then the whole team is going to have to remain committed to serving the best interests of the company.

I sincerely hope that both parties respect the impact that these very difficult decisions have on each other, retrenchments are never easy but they are often unavoidable.

Click here and here to read more on the issue

Albert Pretorius


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