Waitrose is closing four stores and cutting more than 120 jobs - these are the shops affected

Waitrose has announced the closure of four of its stores, with the loss of 124 jobs (Photo: Shutterstock)Waitrose has announced the closure of four of its stores, with the loss of 124 jobs (Photo: Shutterstock)
Waitrose has announced the closure of four of its stores, with the loss of 124 jobs (Photo: Shutterstock)

Waitrose has announced the closure of four of its stores, with the loss of 124 jobs.

The Waitrose store in Caldicot, Wales, alongside stores in Ipswich and Shrewsbury will close. The Wolverhampton branch is to be sold to Tesco.

Unprofitable in the long-term

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The supermarket chain said that due to “challenging trading”, it had struggled to make these stores "profitable in the long-term".

Staff at the stores in Caldicot, Ipswich and Shrewsbury will face redundancy and now enter into consultations.

They could be offered the opportunity of staying within the company, which could include the potential transfer to other Waitrose stores or to John Lewis, which is also part of the group.

All 140 workers at the Wolverhampton site will transfer to Tesco as part of the sale process.

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Back in July, John Lewis Partnership had said it could close more of the supermarket's outlets as part of money-saving measures.

The Caldicot, Ipswich Corn Exchange and Shrewsbury Waitrose stores will shut on 6 December, with the Wolverhampton store expected to close on 31 December.

John Lewis closures

The news comes after John Lewis announced it would permanently close eight UK stores, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.

The chain has also put a stop to its staff bonus for the first time since 1953 due to a drop in profits.

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Berangere Michel, executive director of customer service for the John Lewis Partnership, said: "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."