The announcement confirming that many stores would be losing their food counters came earlier in the year, much to the disappointment of many customers loyal to the brand who love their fresh food offering. They have recently started to confirm the branches affected, so far five locations have been identified. These include:
The supermarket chain has also confirmed that where branches are retaining their food counters, that some may be operating on a part-time basis.
The closures will see around 9000 Tesco employees lose their job, although the brand has confirmed that they expect half of this number to be offered redeployments. They have confirmed that they will be supporting all colleagues affected as best as they can and that where other jobs are available, they will be considered as a priority. It may be the case that job losses will also happen even in stores that won't see their fresh food offering reduced as Tesco confirm that simplified stock control procedures will reduce the workload. This will obviously reduce the need for some members of staff to be involved on the counters.
Exactly how Tesco is going to simplify their stock control procedures hasn't yet been announced, although there is speculation that they will be introducing frozen ranges and no longer baking goods in the store. Tesco admits, that as a brand they need to stay on top of their game in order to remain competitive and they feel that simplifying procedures will help them to remain focussed on the needs of the customer. They feel that it is the focus on the customer that sets them apart from other supermarkets and so this is what will drive them to remain competitive. It is a shame that this will have an impact on their colleagues, but the brand remains dedicated to supporting them through the changes.
Tesco has also announced that they will be spending less time altering layouts within their stores. It seems that customers find changes frustrating and that it has little impact on the success of the store. This will obviously have an impact on the number of staff required in each branch as fewer work hours will be taken up with merchandising.
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