Tesco names the 43 stores that will close as part of turnaround plan
Tesco has unveiled the list of stores to be closed in the spring following its announcement earlier this month that it will shutter 43 stores as part of its turnaround plans. The move will put 2,000 jobs at risk.
The supermarket giant said it will close 18 Tesco Express stores, six DIY Homeplus outlets, 12 Tesco Metro stores and seven superstores. Tesco will also abandon plans to open 49 new stores across the UK.
Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said: “I announced that our performance as a business has fallen significantly short of where we would want it to be and that to protect the future of the business in the UK we would close 43 unprofitable stores.
“The decision to close the stores has been exceptionally difficult to take. I recognise it will affect many hard-working colleagues, our customers and local communities.”
The superstore closures include sites in Bedlington, Chatham, Belfast, Doncaster, Kirkaldy and Wrexham.
Lewis added: “Our priority is to explain what this announcement means for our colleagues and wherever possible, offer them alternative roles with Tesco. We will continue to serve our customers through other local stores and our dotcom service.”
Pauline Foulkes, national officer for the shopworkers union Usdaw, said: “This is devastating news for over 2,000 dedicated staff in the 43 Tesco stores across the UK, who have worked hard to make their shop viable during a difficult time for the company.
“We will now enter into full and meaningful consultation meetings on this proposal, where we will look closely at the company’s business case for the closures. Our priority is to maximise employment within Tesco, seek redeployment opportunities for members, where possible, and to keep job losses to a minimum.”
The full list of stores to close are as follows:
Bearwood – Express
Belvedere – Express
Church Street Ballymena – Express
Heaton Chapel – Express
Heybridge Essex – Express
Houghton Regis – Express
Liverpool Kensington – Express
Longbridge Road Barking – Express
Northfield Birmingham – Express
Raymouth Lane Worksop – Express
Sheffield Manor – Express
South Tottenham High Road – Express
Tredegar – Express
Troon – Express
Walsall Wood – Express
Wealdstone – Express
Whitley Bay – Express
York Road Hartlepool – Express
Bicester – Metro
Bootle – Metro
Caerphilly – Metro
Crossgates – Metro
Devizes – Metro
Grangemouth – Metro
Mexborough – Metro
Morecambe – Metro
Ormskirk – Metro
Runcorn – Metro
Smethwick – Metro
Woodseats – Metro
Bedlington – Superstore
Chatham – Superstore
Connswater – Superstore
Cregagh Road – Superstore
Doncaster – Superstore
Kirkcaldy – Superstore
Wrexham Dodds Lane – Superstore
Bristol Cribbs – Homeplus
Chelmsford – Homeplus
Chester – Homeplus
Edinburgh – Homeplus
Southampton – Homeplus
Staines – Homeplus
