Mrs. Donna Powell v Boots Management Services Ltd — 2021

The claimant was dismissed by reason of redundancy from her role as a No.7 consultant after the respondent decided to reduce the number of such roles at the Mansfield Four Seasons store from four to three. The claimant accepted there was a genuine redundancy situation and did not dispute the selection pool; the main issues were the selection scoring, consultation, and whether suitable alternative employment should have been offered.

The tribunal found that the respondent's scoring criteria were fair and objective, that the claimant had been scored reasonably, and that the store managers involved had sufficient knowledge to contribute to the scoring. It accepted that the claimant had discussed her own scoring at the first consultation meeting, that moderated scores were explained, and that the appeal manager reviewed the scoring process without being required to rescore the pool.

The tribunal also found no unfairness arising from the absence of an employee information pack, the note-taker at appeal, incorrect information about contractual redundancy repayment, or an initial error about length of service for redundancy entitlement. It found no suitable pick and pack role existed before termination because the relevant budget had not yet been announced. The dismissal was held to be neither substantively nor procedurally unfair, and the unfair dismissal claim was dismissed.