London (AFP)
British luxury car maker Bentley announced on Friday that it will cut 1,000 jobs, or a quarter of its workforce, due to the downturn caused by the pandemic.
The brand, which employs 4,200 people in the United Kingdom and belongs to the German group Volkswagen, said in a press release that it had offered voluntary departures, without excluding to lay off more employees.
This announcement is another blow to the British automotive sector where restructuring is increasing.
Thursday, Aston Martin, another luxury brand, had announced 500 job cuts, and the chain of Lookers dealers 1,500.
The British car manufacturer McLaren has decided to reduce its workforce by 1,200 people.
Bentley, headquartered in Crewe in the north-west of England, says the pandemic has brutally "derailed" its development plans.
The brand had implemented a transformation plan in 2018 consisting of improving its productivity, with the key to an operating profit in the green of 300 million euros in 2019 and a record performance in the first quarter of 2020.
But Bentley says it had no other choice but to seek sources of savings due to a significant reduction in its sales forecast.
"Losing colleagues is not something we take lightly, but it is a necessary step to protect the vast majority of the jobs that remain," said Adrian Hallmark, CEO of Bentley.
"The Covid-19 was not the cause but an accelerator" of the difficulties, he acknowledged, suggesting that the decision could also be linked to the ongoing transformation plan.
Beyond its efforts to be more efficient, the manufacturer also plans to take an electric turn and will offer a hybrid version for its models by 2023. It then plans to launch its first 100% electric model in 2026.
The brand was founded in 1919 in north London and was taken over by Volkswagen in 1998. It sells around 11,000 vehicles per year, at an average price of around 200,000 pounds.
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