Bidfood is currently in a consultation process and Andrew Selley, CEO has made a statement, in response to press speculation.
Selley said, “COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the hospitality industry and the foodservice distributors that supply it. During this time, Bidfood has attempted to offset some of this impact by offering home delivery and click & collect services to consumers, and by delivering government care packs to the vulnerable.
'However, we must acknowledge that the extended restrictions on many of our customers, and the uncertain market conditions we continue to face, mean that it is highly unlikely that our business will return to the trading levels we saw prior to COVID-19 for the foreseeable future.
'We’re therefore reluctantly considering proposals to restructure our business, ensuring that we remain agile and able to respond to our customers’ changing needs. Whilst we are unable to sustain our team at its current size, we remain focused on service excellence, making our customers’ lives easier, helping them to rebuild and grow, whilst continuing to provide great value.
Selley continued, 'We understand that this process will be a very unsettling time for our colleagues, and we could have never predicted that these are the steps we would find ourselves having to consider after the loyalty, hard work and cooperation that each and every one of them has shown, especially in recent months.
'We take the future of our employees very seriously, and are committed to preserving the employment of as many people as possible. We’re working closely with trade unions and elected employee representatives to look at ways of avoiding, mitigating and reducing the impact of any changes, and we will do all we can to support them throughout this process.”