Major fashion brand set to slash 250 roles in UK – and some could lose their jobs at Christmas time

A HIGH street fashion chain has reportedly filed for redundancies at its UK head office in a move that could see 250 people lose their jobs. H&M has reportedly communicated the proposed changes through a consultation process that began in April, according to Retail Gazette. The job cuts will take place between October 2 and December 31 across its Oxford Street, Regent Street, Stratford City, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Birmingham locations. The redundancies were revealed after the chain filed a HR1 document, a form that alerts the government of redundancies. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! It is thought the chain’s Oxford Street location will be the worst affected as the chain plans to axe around 40 employees. The exact figure is yet to be confirmed. A source told Retail Gazette that the redundancies were due to “overlapping responsibilities” and that “the decision making is too far from the customer”. The job losses are not believed to be connected to the chain’s recent financial performance. The news is the third time H&M has reorganised its head office in about six years. It also follows a series of head office changes in the past year, including redundancies due to the relocation of its Southeast Asia headquarters from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Most read in Money The move took effect on July 1, 2026 as part of a bigger restructure of its Asia-Pacific operations. It also follows the fashion chain’s trading update, which revealed net sales for the first half of the financial year were SEK 104.4billion (£8.1billion). This was down 1% year-on-year in local currency. The chain also closed 128 stores worldwide in the 12-month period leading up to May 2026. At the time the chain said: “At H&M Group, we continuously evaluate and develop our store portfolio to meet our customers’ needs and offer the best possible shopping experience, both online and in our physical stores. “As part of this ongoing work, we continue to optimise our store portfolio, with stores being opened, upgraded, and closed as needed.” H&M was approached for comment. Comment now