Tesco is making a major change which will see 147 of its stores affected.
The supermarket giant is planning an extensive revamp which will see the end of its Metro format, with more than 100 stores rebranded into superstores this summer.
Tesco Metro stores have been up and running for almost 30 years after originally opening in a bid to rival smaller food stores.
Now, the retailer is saying goodbye to Tesco Metro with 147 stores rebranded into Express and Extra superstores instead, reports The Mirror.
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It comes two years after the chain launched a restructuring into Metro stores following a decline in sales due to market competition.
The changes were announced internally to staff on Tuesday, with the rebranding to be carried out over the next few months.
It will see 89 Metros rebranded as Tesco Express stores, with the remaining 58 becoming superstores.
A spokeswoman told The Mirror stores will receive new fascias over the coming months but will continue to trade normally throughout. She added no colleagues are affected by the changes in addition to the 4,500 jobs cut in 2019.
Almost three years ago, Tesco revealed plans to restructure its city-centre-based Metro arm, which launched to the public in 1994.
At the time, the chain announced 4,500 job cuts and scrapped dozens of lines from supermarkets.
It said the move was part of "operational changes" to the way it runs Metro stores in the UK.
"The changes in our Metro stores will be focused on better tailoring them to how our customers shop," Tesco said in a statement.
"The Metro format was originally designed for larger, weekly shops, but today nearly 70% of customers use them as convenience stores, buying food for that day."
The chain also reduced opening hours at dozens of stores and "simplified" a significant number of lines.
On Tuesday, a message to staff read: “Over the last few years, we have seen our customers’ shopping habits change and we have taken the decision to re-brand all of our Metro stores to better reflect this.
“Our Metro format was originally designed for larger, weekly shops, but today nearly 70% of customers use them as convenience stores, buying food for that day.
“To ensure our offer continues to serve the needs of our customers, 89 of our Metro stores will re-brand to Tesco Express. The remaining 58 Metro stores will have their Metro signage removed and be referred to as Tesco Superstores.
“These stores will receive new fascias over the coming months but will continue to trade normally."
Tesco announced last month that pre-tax profits fell to £825million in the 12 months to February, compared with £1.3billion a year earlier.
It said profits were weighed down by £892million in Covid-related costs and the company's decision to hand £585million in business rates relief back to the Government.
Its banking division Tesco Bank also reported a £175million operating loss.
A Tesco spokesperson told The Mirror: "Over the last few years, we have seen our customers’ shopping habits change and we have taken the decision to re-brand all of our Metro stores to better reflect this.
"Our Metro format was originally designed for larger, weekly shops, but today nearly 70% of customers use them as convenience stores, buying food for that day.
“To ensure our offer continues to serve the needs of our customers, 89 of our Metro stores will re-brand as Tesco Express. The remaining 58 Metro stores will have their Metro signage removed and be referred to as Tesco Superstores.”
