Supermarket giant Coles follows Qantas with hundreds of jobs to move offshore
Coles is set to shift hundreds of jobs offshore after partnering with a consulting and digital management firm to ensure it can ‘meet customers’ growing expectations’.
Coles is set to shift hundreds of jobs offshore after partnering with a consulting and digital management firm to ensure it can “meet customers’ growing expectations” amid ongoing store wars with its rival grocers.
The supermarket giant reportedly started informing staff of its tie-up with Accenture on Friday morning, which could see up to 1000 back-office roles moved to India.
The bombshell revelation comes just days after Qantas also announced it was in talks with Accenture to offshore hundreds of finance, marketing, human resources and other administrative roles, also to India.
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“The retail sector is becoming increasingly competitive as new global players entering the market and technology reshapes how customers shop and what they expect from retailers,” a Coles spokesman told media.
“To meet our customers’ growing expectations for seamless, personalised, digital experiences, Coles needs access to the global skills and resources essential to delivering those experiences.
“This partnership (with Accenture) will give Coles access to that capability at a greater scale and pace, allowing us to better support our teams, move faster, and deliver for our customers.
“The partnership will also help reduce costs in order to continue delivering value for our customers at the checkout.”
The spokesman said the decision was “not taken lightly” and it would offer redeployment or upskilling opportunities where possible.
Coles is the latest of Australia’s big corporate giants to look at offshoring jobs to beat rising wage costs.
Woolworths in June announced hundreds of finance, HR and IT jobs would be sent overseas to Asia as it seeks to “remain competitive with the rapid expansion of international players in the market”.
Telecommunications behemoth Telstra in February said hundreds of jobs would go to India as part of moves to axe 650 roles.
NAB in May said it would hire another 1000 staff at offices in Vietnam and India, continuing moves by Australia’s big four banks to shift IT and technology jobs into Asia.
More to come
Originally published as Coles follows Qantas with hundreds of jobs to move offshore
