Marks and Spencer is set to announce plans for hundreds of job cuts this week.

According to Sky News reports, the retailer will become the latest high street giant to restructure its workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company is expected to start announcing the redundancy plans within a matter of days, joining other major UK retailers such as Debenhams, John Lewis and Boots.

Sources stated that several thousand job cuts were expected, as M&S chief executive Steve Rowe steps up restructuring plans over the next few months.

Within the initial phase, due to be published this week, Marks and Spencer will confirm the first cuts to its workforce since the coronavirus crisis led to the majority of its stores being shuttered back in March.

A total of 27,000 M&S workers were furloughed under the government scheme, aimed at encouraging companies to keep staff employed, with thousands now back at work.

In 2018, M&S unveiled plans to close between 110 and 120 of its clothing stores, over half of which have since shut. The firm now has less than 300 clothing and home stores in Britain.

Mr Rowe said on the announcement of the annual results in May: "Whilst some customer habits will return to normal others have changed forever, the trend towards digital has been accelerated, and changes to the shape of the high street brought forward.

"Most importantly working habits have been transformed and we have discovered we can work in a faster, leaner, more effective way. I am determined to act now to capture this and deliver a renewed, more agile business in a world that will never be the same again."

The company went on to add that "central support costs and headcount will be examined at all levels", while £1bn of cash and cost-saving actions would be linked with "other changes, including a more streamlined support centre, changes to leadership structure and negotiations with landlords on commercial terms on lease contracts".

An M&S spokesperson said of the proposed job losses: "We don't comment on speculation and, if and when we have an announcement to make, our colleagues will be the first to know."

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