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Bloomberg
Ovo Energy Ltd plans to cut 2,600 staff as customers use digital tools to contact the energy supplier, cutting the need for people. Since its acquisition of SSE Energy Services last year, Ovo has been planning
the integration of the two
businesses which “would have always required difficult changes,†the company said.
The impact of the coronavirus has accelerated this, requiring changes to be made much faster than anticipated.
“We are seeing a rapid increase in customers using digital channels to engage with us, and in our experience, once customers start to engage differently they do not go back,†Stephen Fitzpatrick, Ovo’s CEO, said. “We face a new reality and need to adapt quickly.â€
Ovo snapped up SSE Plc’s retail customer business at a bargain price after a deal with Innogy SE fell through in 2018.