Nestle has revealed plans to axe some 16,000 positions globally over the coming two years, as it embraces automation to help it cut costs.
The chief executive of the consumer goods behemoth said the business must "change faster" and safeguard its position "as a leader in our industry".
The redundancies would encompass roughly 12,000 "white-collar professionals" spanning business operations and regions. The plan is set to deliver savings of around one billion Swiss francs (£940 million) annually by the close of 2027.
The company said it was also pursuing an additional 4,000 job losses throughout its production and supply network.
Nestle, which produces familiar food brands including KitKat, Nescafe, and Cheerios, employed approximately 270,000 people last year.
The Swiss corporation stated it aimed to concentrate on becoming a more streamlined organisation, incorporating greater automation of its operational processes.
Its overall cost-reduction objective, which encompasses the workforce reductions, has increased to three billion Swiss francs (£2.8 billion), rising from an earlier 2.5 billion Swiss francs (£2.3 billion).
Philipp Navratil, Nestle's chief executive, said: "The world is changing, and Nestle needs to change faster.
"This will include making hard but necessary decisions to reduce headcount over the next two years. We will do this with respect and transparency.
"The actions we are taking will secure Nestle's future as a leader in our industry.
"Collectively, they will enable us to improve our overall performance and deliver shareholder value."
Mr Navratil also stated that the company would be "prioritising the opportunities and businesses with the highest potential returns".
Nestle employs some 8,000 people in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ. Some 2,500 work at its York campus that includes its º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Ireland confectionery business and one of the world's biggest confectionery plants, which makes more than 5m KitKats a day. Another thousand people work at its Gatwick º£½ÇÊÓƵ HQ.
Other Nestle º£½ÇÊÓƵ locations include confectionery sites in Halifax, Yorkshire, and in Girvan, Scotland; coffee sites in Dalston, Cumbria, and Tutbury, Staffordshire; a Cereal Partners site in Bromborough, Wirral, and the Shreddies and Shredded Wheat plant in Staverton, Wiltshire; and the Nestlé Waters factory in Buxton, Derbyshire. There is a distribution hub at East Midlands Gateway.
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