Danone today (19 February) revealed it plans to cut 900 jobs from its operations in Europe in a bid to revitalise its business in a region where sales fell in 2012.
The Activia firm said in December it wanted to reduce its costs in Europe by EUR200m over two years and this morning outlined the impact on jobs.
Under the proposals, which will be discussed with staff officials today, some 900 posts across 26 countries will go. Danone plans to cut its "management units" by around half and combine teams from several countries into "multi-country units".
Its plans also include a move for executives to focus on "missions and projects that have a direct impact on business growth".
Danone, which said it would continue to do business in the same number of countries in Europe, wants to "win back its competitive edge" in the region.
The company's 2012 financial results, also reported today, revealed Danone's like-for-like sales volumes fell 2.4% in Europe last year. Its trading operating margin in the region dropped by 160 basis points.
