The Warehouse is now proposing to close its central Dunedin store and replace it with an "online fulfilment centre".
In a statement this morning, the company said its Maclaggan St store in Dunedin would be shut to the public and turned into an "online fulfilment centre".
However, a spokesperson later confirmed this was still a proposal and staff would have a chance to give feedback until Friday.
It did not say how the 42 staff the Maclaggan St store would be affected nor when the transition would take place.
When the proposal for the closure of the Dunedin store was first made in last month, The Warehouse said the plan was for it to happen in August and it made no mention of it becoming an "online fulfilment centre".
The company this morning has also announced it has started a consultation to change the working hours of staff across its 92 stores.
The changes could lead to a reduction of up to 750 jobs (320 fill time equivalent roles or between 500-750 if part time, fixed term and casual roles are included).
After early morning meetings at stores across New Zealand, First Union claims the company told those gathered it planned to eliminate 782 roles, and an additional 137 jobs in store closures.
Union general secretary Dennis Maga said he would be appealing to Warehouse bosses later today to keep staff facing redundancy, and redeploy them to jobs within the wider group.
Staff had been told four stores were slated for closure over the next eight months.
"We are clearly disappointed," said Maga. "What we are saying to the company is give us a chance for these workers to be redeployed."
The Warehouse said it announced the proposal behind this consultation at the start of June.
But this consultation was separate to the moves to shut several stores, including Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationary stores.
The proposal is for a change of rostered hours across staff.
"Throughout this phase team members have the opportunity to submit their availability through an online app and express if they are interested in voluntary redundancy," The Warehouse chief executive Pejman Okhovat said.
The company would then work out if they can fill their new rosters.
"If however through this process a store does not meet the requirements, we will need to consult further with these team members," Mr Okhovat said.
The company said the way it operated its stores had stayed the same for years despite changes in the way customers behaved.
It said more than 23% of customers shopped online in the last three years and they were also now "shopping at different times of the day and weekends".
"We need to ensure good roster coverage across all times of day and every day the stores are open," Mr Okhovat said.
"To effectively set ourselves up for future success and to ensure our customers get the best from us, we need to manage our store hours and rosters so that our team members and our customers benefit.
"To achieve this, we are asking our The Warehouse store team members to help us by reviewing some proposed revised rosters."
The company said there would not be any reduction in wages for team members.
With New Zealand Herald
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Comments
What an awesome idea, this would create more jobs elsewhere with follow on business, couriers, one would hope local (Dunedin) supplied packaging products.
A bit of hope for Dunedin, Recommend that the WH check with Hawkins just in case he has covert plans to bottle neck the traffic flow in that area and or see if he has a team of cyclists or pensioners to deliver the products locally while they walk home to the hill areas, - Kill two births with one stone so to speak.
Isnt this old news!