Nestlé will cut 16,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years as part of a major restructuring plan to boost growth and reduce costs. The layoffs — about 6% of its global workforce — include 12,000 white-collar roles and 4,000 positions in manufacturing and supply chains.
“The world is changing and Nestlé needs to change faster,” said new chief executive Philipp Navratil, who took over last month after the dismissal of Laurent Freixe. Navratil aims to save 3 billion Swiss francs (£2.8 billion) by 2027 and push the company toward “a performance-driven culture” focused on innovation and market share.
Nestlé, which makes KitKat, Nescafé, and Purina, employs around 4,200 people in the UK. The company did not confirm which countries would see the largest cuts but said automation would play a key role.
In the first nine months of the year, sales fell 1.9% to 65.9 billion francs due to currency effects, though organic sales grew 3.3%, led by coffee and confectionery. Analyst Chris Beckett said the new CEO’s bold approach shows “it will not be business as usual” as he works to revive Nestlé’s performance.
