Foodstuffs is expecting to cut the volume of goods going through its Dunedin distribution centre by about 15%.
The company's corporate PR director, Antoinette Shallue, said yesterday the drop in volume would also result in a drop in staff numbers next year, as some services were shifted to its new $45 million distribution centre in Hornby, Christchurch ''We have not planned any redundancies.
However, we do expect that through natural attrition and retirement, staff numbers at the distribution centre will reduce slightly in 2015.
''This slight reduction in numbers is in keeping with the approximately 15% reduction in volume the distribution centre is expected to do with the diversion to Hornby of some services, such as split case picking and slow-volume products,'' she said.
The move of services to Christchurch was about efficiency, but the Dunedin centre remained ''very important'' to the company.
''Hornby promises to deliver a wide range of benefits, including a reduction in the amount of order handling, transportation efficiencies, and improvements to order scheduling.''
A union representative last year said about 150 people worked at the Dunedin distribution centre.
Foodstuffs supplies Pak'n Save, New World and Four Square stores.
