Sainsbury's issues major update on closure of patisserie and hot food counters after shutting 61 cafes in store shake-up
One of the UK's biggest supermarkets has shut the counters as part of a major shake-up of its store estate.
1
It is not clear when the pizza counters closed while is understood the patisserie and hot food counters shuttered last month.
It comes after Sainsbury's said they would close "by early summer" in its financial results published last month.
The most popular items previously sold at the patisserie and pizza counters are being moved to shelves elsewhere in stores.
It means shoppers will still be able to get hold of certain bakery items while new self-service bread slicing machines are being phased in.
A Sainsbury's insider previously said the freed-up counter spaces would be replaced with areas selling gluten-free and dairy-free produce.
The closures come as part of a wide-ranging update of Sainsbury's' store estate which also saw 61 in-store cafes shut on April 11.
The cafe spaces are likely to be replaced with restaurants run by franchises such as Starbucks and Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
The supermarket said its hybrid cafe and food halls were becoming popular among shoppers.
Sainsbury's first announced the store overhaul in January, as it revealed 3,000 head office staff would also lose their jobs in a senior team shake-up.
At the time, chief executive Simon Roberts said the changes would "ensure we continue to drive forward our momentum".
It is not clear when the 3,000 staff will lose their jobs, with the cohort making up around 20% of senior management roles.
Shopping discounts - How to make savings and find the best bargains
The major update at the start of the year came after Sainsbury's toasted its "biggest ever" Christmas trading period.
But the supermarket is also trying to cut costs by £1 billion-a-year, and last year it cut about 1,500 roles.
In late 2024, the company said tax increases from the October Budget would add an extra £140million to costs.
Last month, employer National Insurance contributions were hiked from 13.8% to 15% and the threshold at which they are paid lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.
All 61 cafes shut by Sainsbury's
Fosse Park
Pontypridd
Rustington
Scarborough
Penzance
Denton
Wrexham
Longwater
Ely
Pontllanfraith
Emersons Green
Nantwich
Pinhoe Road
Pepper Hill - Northfleet
Marshall Lake
Rhyl
Lincoln
Bridgemead
Larkfield
Whitchurch Bargates
Sedlescombe Road
Barnstaple
Dewsbury
Kings Lynn Hardwick
Truro
Warren Heath
Godalming
Hereford
Chichester
Bognor Regis
Newport
Talbot Heath
Rugby
Cannock
Leek
Winterstoke Road
Hazel Grove
Morecambe
Darlington
Monks Cross
Marsh Mills
Springfield
Durham
Bamber Bridge
Weedon Road
Hempstead Valley
Hedge End
Bury St Edmunds
Thanet Westwood Cross
Stanway
Castle Point
Isle of Wight
Keighley
Swadlincote
Leicester North
Wakefield Marsh Way
Torquay
Waterlooville
Macclesfield
Harrogate
Cheadle
Meanwhile, the national minimum wage was also increased in a double whammy for businesses.
SUPERMARKETS AXING SECTIONS
Sainsbury's is not the first supermarket to announce a major overhaul of its stores, with Tesco ditching delis and hot food counters in 2023.
The move came after the retailer said it had seen a big drop in demand for the use of its counters in the preceding years.
Tesco said all staff working across the sections would be offered new roles in the business.
The move to close the underused counters started in 2019, when Tesco also said it would axe 9,000 jobs.
In March, Morrisons said it would shut 52 cafes and 17 stores and axe a number of in-store services.
Rami Baitiéh, chief executive, said the plans would allow the supermarket to invest in other areas of the business.
The 17 Daily convenience stores have now all closed, with the last branch shutting on May 14.
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Disused railway land to be redeveloped to build 40,000 new homes
The UK government says first-time buyers are set to benefit as it pledges to build up to 40,000 new homes on disused railway land, including former goods yards, industrial sites and station buildings, over the next ten £1bn development plans will start with previously identified projects in Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and government said it was part of its "brownfield first" approach and would create "vibrant" new the interim target of 15,000 in the first five years, is a small fraction of the total 1.5 million new homes the government has promised by the end of this parliament, plans that are already facing big hurdles. The government aims to attract £350m in private sector investment to help develop vacant industrial sites across the country, to create shops, green spaces and hotels as well as flats and is part of its bigger promise to tackle housing shortages across the those plans face a huge range of obstacles, including strains on local infrastructure such as water, sewage, schools and healthcare, and a lack of capacity in the construction industry to build the new homesIndustry groups say there are already backlogs, with hundreds of homebuilding projects held up by regulatory obstacles. A new development company, called Platform4, is being created, by rolling together two existing bodies: London and Continental Railways and Network Rail's Property Development currently have responsibility for managing disused railway land, but the Department for Transport said that this "fragmented approach" had led to "inefficiencies, duplicated efforts and missed opportunities".Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the new developments would support jobs and drive growth as well as providing much needed homes."It's exciting to picture the thousands of families who will live in these future homes, the vibrant neighbourhoods springing up, and the new businesses that will launch thanks to these developments," she Seeley, the chair of London and Continental Railways, has been appointed as chair of Platform4. However, the industry group the National Federation of Builders (NFB) said planning delays were blocking progress on existing building projects on a scale equal to the government's new to the NFB at least 40,000 new homes are being held up by regulators, including 700 projects waiting for the go-ahead from the Building Safety Regulator, which was set up in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire to oversee higher-risk NFB also said planning delays were also causing small businesses to leave the construction industry, with a knock-on effect on training and apprenticeships. Rico Wojtulewicz, the NFB's head of policy and market insight said building houses near to railway lines was a "winning blueprint" because stations "already connect up local and regional communities".But he said elsewhere government policy was adding to building costs "on at least ten fronts".The Building Safety Regulator said many applications had "taken longer than anticipated to process" and that said it was rejecting around 70% of applications because they did not meet legal requirements.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
HSBC tells managing directors to return to office four days a week
HSBC has asked its managing directors to come into the office for at least four days a week from October. According to a memo, seen by Bloomberg News, the London-listed bank told its senior managers to 'set the tone from the top'. Approached on Tuesday, HSBC said that in-person interactions were 'essential to how we lead and deliver for our customers'. It is the latest example of a big UK company pushing for higher office attendance amid concerns over productivity since pandemic-era lockdowns caused a surge in remote working. The likes of JP Morgan, Tesco, John Lewis and Uber have all introduced policies to compel employees to show up more. HSBC's memo defines in-office work as work in the bank's offices or with customers, Bloomberg reported. It includes visiting stakeholders and attending conferences, offsite meetings or the equivalent. The bank has acted after shifts of policy at other lenders in the past six months. Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan, enforced an end to remote work for the investment bank's employees from March, while Lloyds Banking Group, the owner of Halifax, has told senior staff that office attendance will be taken into account when divvying up bonuses. It was reported in May that HSBC had threatened to cut staff bonuses for those not in the office at least three days per week. • Working from home is here to stay — if workers get their way In January, the advertising agency WPP suffered a backlash after telling its 111,000-strong workforce to return to the office for at least four days a week from April. Staff working from home are being put under renewed pressure as the government pushes through changes to workers' rights under the Employment Rights Bill. The reforms include measures to enhance flexible working rights for employees by making it more difficult for employers to refuse requests. In the US, Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate and investment group, found this month that more than half of the Fortune 100, the largest companies by earnings and revenue, had demanded workers come in to the office five days a week. HSBC is set to report its interim results on Wednesday. Analysts are forecasting first-half pre-tax profit to fall to about $16.5 billion, down from $21.6 billion a year ago.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Endeavour, two other gold producers sign on to Mali's new mining code
BAMAKO, July 29 (Reuters) - London-listed Endeavour Mining (EDV.L), opens new tab and two other gold producers have agreed to migrate to Mali's new mining code, government officials said. The code, which raises taxes and seeks to hand over big stakes in mining assets to the state, sparked bitter disputes with mining companies after it was implemented in August 2023, helping drive Mali's gold output down 23% last year to 51 metric tons. Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou and the Minister of Mines announced the new memorandum of understanding with Somika SA - which is 80%-owned by Endeavour and 20% by the Malian state - Faboula Gold and Bagama Mining on state television late Monday. No terms of the deals were disclosed. The three companies account for only a fraction of Mali's gold output, with Faboula and Bagama launching output in 2021 with 500 kg each and the Kalana project operated by Somika yet to start production. All three have been largely inactive since the mining code was adopted. Somika director Abdoul Aziz said construction of the company's mine "will begin six months after the signing of the agreement, and production will start 18 months later". "Somika has a lifespan of 10 years and a turnover of 135 billion CFA francs ($238.9 million) annually. Bagama and Faboula each have five-year lifespans with turnovers of 50 billion and 75 billion CFA francs,' Sanou said, adding that each company is expected to create around 2,000 jobs. Endeavour Mining declined to comment. Faboula Gold and Bagama Mining could not be reached for comment. Mali's biggest gold miner, Barrick Mining ( opens new tab, suspended operations in the Loulo-Gounkoto complex in mid-January after the government blocked its exports, detained some of its executives, and seized three tonnes of bullion. The Canadian miner remains locked in dispute with the government, having since launched arbitration proceedings at the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Mali is one of Africa's top gold producers, but regulatory uncertainty has weighed on investment and output. ($1 = 565.0000 CFA francs)
