Waitrose puts 124 more jobs at risk as four stores close after Covid pandemic

When these four close Waitrose will have 331 shops, made up of 272 supermarkets and 59 convenience shops

Waitrose will close four supermarkets

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16 September 2020

Waitrose has put more jobs at risk as it shuts four unprofitable stores across the country.

The upmarket grocer is shutting its shops in Caldicot, Ipswich Corn Exchange and Shrewsbury, which will close on December 6 putting 124 of its staff at risk. They will now enter a consultation period.

A further store in Wolverhampton has been sold to Tesco with all 140 staff transferring from Waitrose to Tesco. The store will shut on December 31.

Waitrose said: “The announcements form part of an ongoing review of the Waitrose store estate, which began in 2017. We have found trading challenging in these four shops and, despite the best efforts of Partners, we have not been able to find a way to make them profitable in the long-term.”

Staff who have worked with the business for more than a year will receive two week’s redundancy pay for every year of service.

The grocer is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the mutual which also includes the eponymous department store chain. The group has been scaling back its store estate in the wake of the Covid lockdown, which forced its non-food business to close.

The Evening Standard revealed in July that chairman Sharon White has begun a revamp of the group leading to mass job losses, the axing of a London office and the prospects of no bonus for partners next year.

The company said it will provide support to those staff at the Caldicot, Ipswich Corn Exchange and Shrewsbury stores who are at risk of redundancy through a “Retraining Fund”, contributing up to £3000 towards a qualification or course for up to two years for any partner with two years’ service.

John Lewis Partnership director Bérangère Michel: “Closing any of our shops is always a last resort and is not a reflection on the dedication of our Partners in Caldicot, Ipswich Corn Exchange, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. Sadly, we have not been able to find a way to make these shops profitable in the long-term, despite the hard work of everyone involved.

“Our priority now is the wellbeing and future of our Partners in these shops. We will do everything we can to support them and explore opportunities wherever possible for those who may wish to remain with the Partnership.”

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Waitrose puts 124 more jobs at risk as four stores close after Covid pandemic

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