Sainsbury's to shut almost every one of its West Midlands cafes
Sainsbury’s will shut virtually all its in-store cafes as part of a shake-up that will hit around 2,000 workers.
The supermarket chain currently has around a dozen cafes across the West Midlands.
They will all shut, apart from the cafe in the Cannock store on the orbital Retail Centre, and at Whitchurch's London Road site.
Nationally, around 200 stores will close. Sainsbury’s says it is also launching consultations with an undisclosed number of staff regarding plans to close less popular hot food counters in 34 stores and changes to how it runs bakeries in 54 stores.
It is the latest in a raft of recent restructuring moves by the retailer as it seeks to keep a lid on rising costs.
Sainsbury’s told staff at its cafes on Tuesday that it is proposing to close 200 sites in the spring.
It said that 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.
The cafe in Cannock will stay open while the company reviews changes to its dining operations.
Its decision to close the cafes is a part of a wider move to transform its dining, takeaway and home delivery food and drink offer from stores.
The retailer said it will also open 30 more restaurant hubs in stores in partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), which runs the Caffe Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Ed’s Diner and Slim Chickens brands.
It said the move comes after a successful trial partnership at its Selly Oak supermarket in Birmingham.
The supermarket business said it will also open 30 Starbucks sites across its supermarkets, as it seeks to overhaul its offer across 250 stores over the next three years.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s chief executive officer, 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.
“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.”
