Sainsbury’s announce Worksop store's cafe among 200 to close next month putting jobs at risk

Sainsbury’s café on Highgrounds Road will be one of 200 stores closing for good next month in a shake-up the firm’s in-store dining.

The 2,000 staff expected to be affected will be prioritised for vacant roles in Sainsbury’s stores and will be encouraged to explore alternative roles within the wider business.

The closures come as part of a shake up to its indoor dining following the underperforming of many of its cafés since the pandemic.

The new plans follow a successful trial of a new food hall format called The Restaurant Hub at its Selly Oak store in Birmingham.

Working in partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group, The Restaurant Hub trial at the Selly Oak store offers customers eat-in, takeaway and home delivered hot food and drink from a range of popular brands - including Caffè Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Ed’s Diner and Slim Chickens.

Sainsbury’s and BRG plan to open 30 more The Restaurant Hubs in the next year, with the intention to accelerate the roll-out in future years if the format continues to be popular with customers.

Sainsbury’s will also open a further 30 Starbucks coffee shops in its supermarkets in the next 12 months, bringing the total number of Starbucks in its supermarkets to 60.

Working with BRG and Starbucks, Sainsbury’s 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.

The remaining 67 in-store cafes will stay open while the company reviews changes to its dining operations.

Sainsbury’s chief executive, Simon Roberts, said: “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.

“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.”