WAL-MART'S ASDA REVEALS PLAN TO LAY OFF 1,400.

HFN: The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, July, 2005

Byline: Samantha Conti, Sharon Edelson contributed to this report.

LONDON-Asda, Wal-Mart's European division, plans to lay off 1,400 workers in a bid to cut costs and regain its share of the intensely competitive U.K. market.

Some 200 management jobs will be phased out at the company's head office in Yorkshire, England, and 1,200 retail management positions at Asda stores will be cut in order to focus on front-line customer service. Asda employs 140,000 people in the United Kingdom.

"It's as if we woke up, looked in the mirror and realized we'd gotten flabby," said Andy Bond, who took over as Asda's president and chief executive officer in March. "We have to get fit, and that's a painful process. Moreover, we don't want to gain back the...