Vodafone is closing branches. This is the bad news. But there is at least some good news for Vodafone employees.
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Vodafone shop in Dresden.
© Tupungato/Shutterstock.com
Vodafone is closing stores. Under the harmless-sounding headline “Vodafone optimizes its stationary sales structure”, the Düsseldorf mobile phone company announces the closure of branches. Expressed in hard numbers and without marketing gibberish, this means: “In total, the total number of Vodafone stores will be reduced by seven percent by 2024.” In its announcement, however, Vodafone does not name the specific number of shops to be closed; employees are said to be talking about 40 branches that have to close. This reports Caschy’s blog.
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The reason for the branch closures
Vodafone is reacting to changing customer behavior. Because the online boom and the corona pandemic have influenced customer behavior in retail across all sectors, as Vodafone explains. In other words: “Customers are shopping more online. However, those customers who continue to prefer to shop in brick-and-mortar stores would expect “high-quality service and advice” there.
There are also new branches
Vodafone is reacting to this change in customer behavior by closing shops in uneconomical locations on the one hand and strengthening branches in better frequented locations on the other. In some cases, Vodafone even wants to open new shops – the company cites Hamburg and Berlin as examples. There, “Vodafone wants to further improve service, advice and the shopping experience in order to react to customer requests and changing shopping behavior.” with the help of digital and interactive tools, we can provide even more transparent and better advice.”
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This happens with the affected employees
Employees affected by branch closures “Vodafone wants to make the best possible alternative job offers in the company, such as employment in nearby branches. Further training opportunities and professional development in other areas of the company are also offered. In cases where this alternative is not an option, Vodafone is striving to get closer Socially acceptable solutions in consultation with the employee representatives. The concrete steps will be worked out in a timely manner”.
This example shows very nicely how important a works council is. At Klarna, which is laying off ten percent of its employees, there is no works council to support the dismissed “Klarnauts”. You can read more about the mass redundancies at Klarna here:
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Online business is growing steadily
The number of online bookings at Vodafone has increased by more than 40 percent in the past three years. With a strong upward trend
