Iconic drinks manufacturer set ‘to axe 100 jobs in Scotland’

BOSSES at Irn-Bru manufacturer AG Barr are set to cut around 100 jobs in Scotland as part of an overhaul of its operations.

The majority of employees that are believed to be affected by this are drivers at the Cumbernauld depot, who are responsible for delivering drinks directly to the shops.

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It is understood that employees were told last month that their roles were at risk.

The drinks maker announced that staff that worked in its direct sales operations at three sites across in the UK were at risk.

It included the closure of its Leeds office for energy brand, Boost.

The redundancies are understood to be finalised by the end of June.

An insider told the Record: “We were called into a meeting about two weeks ago and told the company was making changes.

“The workforce is pretty shocked and hurt to be honest as some of these drivers have been with the company for up to 25 years.

“They’ll no longer be delivering to stores directly and just going straight to wholesalers instead.

“We knew about the job losses last month but these plans weren’t included in that announcement.

“It’s pretty shocking to be honest.”

A.G. Barr said: “After a full review, we have shared with employees a proposal to close Barr Direct – our direct to store delivery operation for convenience retailers.

“Instead, the company proposes moving to an enlarged and enhanced field sales team, supplying brands through existing wholesale channels in line with our ongoing growth strategy.

“While approximately 100 staff in Scotland have entered a consultation period, we expect some new field roles will be created. These proposals are subject to consultation and we intend to fully support our employees through these proposed changes.”

It comes after the company announced plans to cut nearly 200 jobs at sites in sites in Cumbernauld, Wednesbury, Moston, Dagenham and Leeds.

It said it was changing how it sells its products to independent retailers and convenience stores following a review.

Irn-Bru manufacturers will shift from its current telesales-supported model of delivering directly to store, towards a field sales operation through its existing wholesale channels.