Tesco has announced that it will be shutting down all of its Jack's discount stores, as well as 317 meat, fish, and deli counters across the UK.
The supermarket chain stated that the counters that will be closed will be those with "lowest demand".
In addition, seven of its 13 Jack's branches will be axed, while the remaining six will be converted to standard Tesco supermarkets.
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As reported by Hull Live, hundreds of jobs at the counters and bargain stores will be put at risk — though Tesco has not revealed the number of staff that will be affected.
Tesco UK and Republic of Ireland chief executive Jason Tarry said: “Our Jack’s brand will continue to be sold across Booker and our symbol brands, bringing great value and quality to even more customers.
“We want to thank our Jack’s colleagues for all they have done and taught us.
“Our priority is to find roles within our wider business for all the colleagues who want to stay with us.”
Jack's was introduced in 2018 to rival popular budget giants Aldi and Lidl.
Tesco stated that it had “learned a tremendous amount” from the venture on the discount operating model, such as including much fewer lines than its traditional shops.
However, the supermarket announced that “the time is right to focus on continuing to deliver great value in our core business”.
Tesco added that its experience with Jack’s has helped its core Tesco business to be more competitive, with the supermarket chain boasting healthy sales and gaining share from rivals since the pandemic hit in early 2020.
In 2019, Tesco also undertook a major restructuring process which impacted around 9,000 workers and included the closure of counters in 90 stores.
The company said it will now have only 279 stores with meat, fish and deli counters after a “decrease” in the number of customers using these on a regular basis across its shop portfolio.
It said it will “repurpose” the counters across the 317 stores impacted by its latest counter closure plans. Colleagues affected by this move will be offered alternative roles, it added.
The seven Jack’s stores which will be closing are based in:
– Hull
– St Helens
– Walton
– Castle Bromwich
– Middlewich
– Barnsley
– Liverpool North
The locations where Jack’s outlets will become large Tesco stores:
– Chatteris
– Immingham
– Edgehill
– Rubery
– Sheffield
– Wakefield
