LONDON, United Kingdom — Philip Green's British fashion group Arcadia plans to cut 500 of its head office workforce of 2,500, it said on Wednesday, blaming the coronavirus crisis for the restructuring.

"Due to the impact of Covid-19 on our business including the closure for over three months of all our stores and head offices, we have today informed staff of the need to restructure our head offices," the Topshop-to-Dorothy Perkins group said.

It said the cuts were essential to ensure it operated as efficiently as possible in "very challenging times."

By James Davey; editor: Paul Sandle.