Tesco could cut over 1,800 jobs as part of in-store bakery overhaul
Tesco has announced plans to cut the number of staff working in its in-store bakeries as it looks to adapt following a shift in customer tastes and preferences. The move will put over 1,800 jobs at risk.
In a statement, the supermarket said customers have been buying fewer traditional loaves of bread in recent years and that sales of wraps, bagels and flatbreads have been increasing.
From May, Tesco will offer customers more alternatives to traditional loaves in its stores. It will continue to offer scratch baking in 257 stores but in 58 stores it will convert the bakery to full bake-off where all products are delivered pre-prepared, then baked and finished in-store. The remaining 201 stores will see the most popular products baked from scratch while other products will move to being part-baked.
The supermarket said the changes mean it will need fewer staff to work in these areas and that 1,816 bakery staff may now face redundancy.
Tesco will also be working to improve the customer experience by investing in new fixtures and expanding its regional bakery ranges in partnership with small local suppliers.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK & ROI chief executive, said: “We need to adapt to changing customer demand and tastes for bakery products so that we continue to offer customers a market-leading bakery range in store. We know this will be very difficult for colleagues who are impacted, and our priority is to support them through this process. We hope that many will choose to stay with us in alternative roles.”
