Sainsbury’s to SHUT 200 of its cafes this Spring putting 2,000 jobs at risk as it announces plans to open STARBUCKS in 30 of its UK locations
- Sainsbury’s will also look at closing less popular hot food counters in 34 stores
- Supermarket said the move was to help the chain handle rising costs
- It is also looking into opening Starbucks in 30 of its stores across the UK
Sainsbury’s is set to shut 200 cafes this spring, the supermarket announced today amid concerns over rising costs.
It will also close 34 hot food counters, and ‘simplify’ the running of 54 bakeries in its stores.
Cafes at supermarkets in London, Bristol, York and other UK cities will pull the shutters down for the last time next month. Only 67 will remain open.
Sainsbury’s said it planned to ‘transform’ its eat-in offer for shoppers, and would replace 30 of the cafes with Starbuck’s.
Another 30 restaurants from the chain that runs Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Ed’s Diner will also open in stores.
Chief executive Simon Roberts said: ‘We are really excited about this new customer offer we will be rolling out over the next two to three years across many of our stores.’
Sainsbury’s is set to close 200 of its in-store cafes this spring, the supermarket chain announced today. (Pictured: A Sainsbury’s cafe)
The cafes will close next month, but 67 are set to remain open (Pictured: A Sainsbury’s cafe)
Sainsbury’s saw its sales spike during the pandemic amid panic-buying and the closure of hospitality venues — along with other supermarkets.
But despite the surge, its profits fell 39 per cent to £356million before tax over the financial year to March 2021, the latest available.
Bosses at the chain blamed expensive Covid safety measures and continuing to pay business rates even after the rules were relaxed.
Today’s announcement comes after the supermarket also permanently closed all of its meat, fish and deli counters more than a year ago.
Sainsbury’s revealed plans to close 200 of its cafes to staff this morning.
It said workers affected by the closures will be prioritised for vacant roles in stores and will be encouraged to apply for jobs elsewhere in the business.
In April last year, Sainsbury’s said 1,200 jobs were at risk from plans to stop baking products in some stores, while it cut around 3,500 jobs due to the closure of fresh meat and fish counters in November 2020.
The supermarket said 30 Starbucks cafes are now planned for its stores. (Pictured: People shopping in the supermarket in Newcastle)
Chief executive Simon Roberts said: ‘As we go through this period of transition, we have taken the difficult decision to close 200 of our cafes next month.
‘We have spoken to all colleagues affected by these changes today and are absolutely committed to supporting them in any way we can during this uncertain time.
‘Of course, we understand this is very unsettling for our colleagues, but we must keep adapting our business to make sure we are offering customers the best possible food and drink at affordable prices.
‘We are totally focused on improving what we can deliver for our customers and, at the same time, working hard to make our business simpler.’
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