Two Sainsbury's cafes in Cornwall among 200 set to close
Across the country over 2,000 jobs are at risk
Two Sainsbury's cafes in Cornwall are among 200 across the country set to close this spring.
The ones at Helston and Falmouth will shut but Truro and Penzance will stay open during a review of services.
Around 2,000 members of staff across the country are likely to be impacted because of the changes.
Bosses say those affected will be prioritised for vacant roles in Sainsbury’s stores and will be encouraged to explore alternative roles within the wider business.
67 Sainsbury’s cafes will stay open while Sainsbury’s reviews rollout plans.
Sainsbury’s has also announced plans to close less popular hot food counters in 34 stores and simplify the way it runs its bakeries in 54 stores.
These employees will enter into consultation, with the aim of redeploying those affected to other areas of their store where possible.
It is part of plans to transform the supermarket's eat-in, takeaway and home delivery food and drink offer.
Sainsbury’s and the Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) plan to open 30 more The Restaurant Hubs in the next year, like their current one in Selly Oak, with the intention to accelerate the roll-out in future years if the format continues to be popular with customers.
They will feature brands such as Caffè Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Ed’s Diner and Slim Chickens.
At the same time, Sainsbury's is also planning to open a further 30 Starbucks coffee shops in its supermarkets in the next twelve months, bringing the total number of Starbucks in Sainsbury’s supermarkets to 60.
Working with BRG and Starbucks, Sainsbury’s says it plans to transform the eat-in, takeaway and home delivered hot food and drink offer in 250 of its supermarkets over the next three years.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Officer said: “We know that customers like the convenience of being able to have a drink, a snack or a meal while they’re doing their shopping – and that they love the range of food and brands on offer at The Restaurant Hub and from Starbucks. Whether customers are shopping for food, for Tu clothing, Habitat homewares or at Argos, the offer at The Restaurant Hub means they can also have breakfast, lunch or dinner in the store – or take a hot meal home with them. Through our trials with Boparan Restaurant Group and Starbucks we have learnt that we can offer customers a much better eat-in and takeaway experience working with partners. 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.
“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.”