British American Tobacco(BAT) announced plans to reduce its globalworkforceby approximately 20% as part of an AI-driven transformation programme.- The restructuring involves cutting 5,500 jobs and outsourcing a further 3,500 roles, impacting a total of 9,000 employees, with the US market excluded from these changes.
- This initiative aims to generate £600 million in annualised incremental savingsby 2028, with £500 million targeted by 2027, to bolster profits and improve agility. - The move addresses the Lucky Strike and Dunhill maker's sluggish sales and profit growth, the decline in traditional tobacco, and challenges in its new categories like vapes and nicotine pouches.
- CEO Tadeu Marroco stated the changes are intended to make the company more agile, cost-disciplined, and technology-enabled, while ensuring support for affected colleagues.
source & further reading
independent.co.uk — original article
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