Tesco has revealed it will be closing meat, fish and hot deli counters across 317 of its stores as well as its discount chain Jack’s, which first launched in 2018.
The Big 4 grocer said that it will shut the deli counters across 317 of its supermarkets where it has seen “lowest demand” due to changes in customer habits. The space will be repurposed to “better reflect customers’ needs”.
Deli counters will continue to operate in the 279 stores across the Tesco portfolio where local customer demand remains high.
No redundancies will be made following the changes, with all impacted colleagues being offered alternative roles within the business.
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The plans to close the Jack’s brand will see six of the 13 stores being converted into Tesco superstores,
with the remaining seven Jack’s stores set to close in the coming months. The changes will put 130 jobs at risk, across the stores and in head office.
“We have learnt a huge amount from Jack’s and this has helped Tesco become more competitive, more efficient and strengthened our value proposition, including through the launch of Aldi Price Match,” stated Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive Jason Tarry.
“In turn, this has enabled us to consistently attract new customers to Tesco from our competitors over the last two years and we know they increasingly recognise the value they can find at Tesco.
“With the learnings from Jack’s now applied, the time is right to focus on ensuring we continue to deliver the best possible value for customers in our core business.”
“We want to thank our Jack’s colleagues for all they have done and taught us,” he added. “Our priority is to find roles within our wider business for all the colleagues who want to stay with us.”
Jack’s branded products will continue to be available across Booker and its symbol brands.
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