Inno puts half of its shop staff on temporary unemployment

Since Monday, temporary unemployment has applied to 50 percent of the staff in sales. About 25 percent of executives and department heads are also put on temporary unemployment, says trade union representative of CNE Liège, Ghislaine Marie. The measure affects the group’s head office and its 16 stores, including those in Ostend and Bruges.

The sales figures at Inno are very disappointing after the sales, it sounds like. An explanation is sought in the successive crises we have faced. “We have just come out of a crisis and are entering another, a war in Europe. This has an impact on inflation, oil prices and energy, so consumers are also more cautious,” explains Valérie Van Walleghem of SETCa/BBTK. According to her, the management has indicated that if there is a recovery, the measure will be stopped.

The measure will last until the end of June, with the exception of the week of May 2. Then the group will be 125 years old and everyone can go back to work to celebrate the birthday.

INNO still has stores in Bruges and Ostend. Long ago, the group also had stores in Knokke-Heist and Kortrijk, but they closed their doors in the 1980s.