Safeway to cut HQ jobs

PLEASANTON, Calif. Safeway is eliminating 69 jobs at its corporate headquarters in California and plans similar cuts at regional headquarters in other parts of the country. The job cuts won’t affect any workers at the chain’s 1,743 stores or its distribution centers.

ASafeway spokesman said the cuts represent “modest staff reductions” designed to control expenses. Aside from the 69 jobs eliminated at its corporate home, the company did not specify the total number of jobs scheduled to be cut, though one published report put the number at 400 for more than a half-dozen regional offices ranging from Arizona to Virginia.  

Safeway reported total sales of $42.3 billion for fiscal 2007 and earnings of $888 million but faces growing competition from rivals including newcomer Tesco, which plans to have 300 stores open in Safeway’s markets by the end of 2008