Tesco Confirms South Yorkshire Store Closures

Tesco have confirmed plans to close its Doncaster town centre store as well as local branches in Woodseats, Mexborough and the Manor. The supermarket chain announced earlier this month they planned to close 43 unprofitable sites and say wherever possible staff will be offered other jobs. Its thought around 250 jobs could be lost in South Yorkshire with most sites set to close to customers on April 4th and the Manor Express shop closing on March 15th. Nationwide seven superstores and six Homeplus outlets are among the unprofitable shops identified for closure by new chief executive Dave Lewis. He announced the closure plan earlier this month as part of wider measures designed to revive the group's fortunes in the wake of a disastrous 2014. Tesco said that 2,000 staff are expected to be affected by the 43 closures and that it will begin consultations with all those workers affected. Dave Lewis said: 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.

Our priority is to explain what this announcement means for our colleagues and, wherever possible, offer them alternative roles with Tesco.'' The superstores are at Bedlington, Chatham, Connswater and Cregagh Road in Belfast, Doncaster, Kirkcaldy and Wrexham Dodds Lane. The Homeplus shops to shut are at Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Chelmsford, Chester, Edinburgh, Southampton and Staines. Tesco Metro shops set for closure are at Bicester, Bootle, Caerphilly, Crossgates, Devizes, Grangemouth, Mexborough, Morecambe, Ormskirk, Runcorn, Smethwick and Woodseats. The company has also identified 18 smaller Express convenience stores for closure. They are at Bearwood; Belvedere; Church Street, Ballymena; Heaton Chapel; Heybridge, Essex; Houghton Regis; Liverpool Kensington; Longbridge Road, Barking; Northfield, Birmingham; Raymouth Lane, Worksop; Sheffield Manor; South Tottenham High Road; Tredegar; Troon; Walsall Wood; Wealdstone; Whitley Bay; and York Road, Hartlepool. Usdaw union national officer Pauline Foulkes 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.''