Fuller’s to cut up to 500 jobs with London hardest hit

Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller's, has predicted job cuts of 10% across the company following the government’s instruction to work from home, with city centre sites hardest hit.

Speaking on BBC 5Live, Emeny said that the sector had been “crippled by a set of government guidelines”, including the 10pm curfew and last week’s instruction for people not to return to offices.

He said the sector had not been consulted ahead of the latest measures and that he and a number of industry leaders had written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging them to be reviewed every three weeks.

Despite previously hoping that the company would be able to save jobs, Emeny said that last Tuesday’s instruction to work from home was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” and that many of the job cuts would affect people under the age of 30, the age group which is “disproportionately” high in the sector.

He added: “The level of morale is possibly the highest it’s ever been. We are determined we will come through this as strongly as possible.”