Job Cuts at Hofer: These Employees Are Affected

The food discounter Hofer will close its distribution warehouse in Weißenbach (district of Villach Land) with around 200 employees by the end of 2026. Furthermore, restructuring and outsourcing in the administrative area at the company headquarters in Sattledt, Upper Austria, are planned. They are "currently in an evaluation phase" regarding how many employees will be "ultimately affected," Hofer told the APA.

Hofer Distribution Warehouse in Weißenbach to be Closed

According to "Standard" (Tuesday edition), the closure of the warehouse in Weißenbach and restructuring at the company headquarters could affect around 300 employees. Administrative tasks in the areas of purchasing and accounting, which are standardized and recurring, are to be outsourced in the future according to company information. Hofer is part of the German corporate group Aldi Süd.

"A closure of our headquarters in Sattledt was and is not up for discussion at any time," Hofer emphasized to the APA. The food discounter operates around 540 branches in Austria and employs around 13,000 people. According to company information, the branch business is not affected by the restructuring. Currently, the company has 1,200 open positions nationwide, primarily in sales and logistics.

Parts of IT to be Outsourced

The managing director of GPA Upper Austria, Wolfgang Gerstmayer, did not want to provide numbers upon APA request regarding how many Hofer employees are specifically affected by the job cuts, as he himself does not know them. Estimating would be unprofessional, according to the union representative. Besides the absolute number of those affected, it is also completely unclear how many of them would actually lose their jobs. They are being offered the opportunity to work in other areas. For those for whom this is unreasonable - for example, because the distance is too far - the social plan that has been negotiated would apply, said Gerstmayer.

Hofer is outsourcing parts of IT "to other countries where it is cheaper," which unfortunately other companies are also doing, said the GPA Upper Austria managing director. Nevertheless, there is "a social partnership level that works" and "Hofer is interested in retaining as many employees as possible," he is convinced. The GPA is in ongoing discussions with the Hofer works councils.

Replacement Jobs for Carinthian Logistics Employees

The food discounter plans to distribute the logistics tasks of the Weißenbach location to other logistics centers, including the new location in Lieboch (Graz-Umgebung district), starting from early 2027. According to company information, other logistics locations are not affected by the current restructuring. The administrative activities in Weißenbach, including the customer service center, are to be relocated to the company headquarters in Sattledt. "All affected employees will also have the opportunity to continue working in another department or at another location," said Hofer. A transfer of logistics employees - for example, to branches - is generally not uncommon.

For the affected Hofer employees in Carinthia, counseling sessions are now being offered, said Günther Muhrer from GPA Carinthia to APA. After each affected person has oriented themselves, attention will be paid to whether there are "special individual concerns": "An important point will also be whether everyone has correctly understood the information they have received." Further measures, such as a social plan, will be developed at the company headquarters in Upper Austria.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.