Staff at Sainsbury's in Portsmouth at risk of losing their jobs as part of plans to close 200 in-store cafes

Sainsbury’s in Farlington has been named as one of the shops set to ditch its cafe in favour of chain restaurants and coffee shops.

Workers across the country were told on March 1 that the closures would be as soon as the spring, with 67 cafes staying open but under review.

It is planned 200 in-store cafes will shut, including the one in Farlington, putting as many as 2,000 workers at risk of losing their jobs.

But Sainsbury’s has said cafe staff will be ‘prioritised’ for vacant roles in their stores.

It comes as part of a wider shake up to reduce costs and transform its dining, takeaway and home delivery services.

To replace the cafes, Sainsbury’s has proposed to open 30 new restaurant hubs in its stores in partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group - which owns chains such as Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Carluccio’s.

This follows a successful trial partnership at the Selly Oak branch in Birmingham.

The supermarket chain has also proposed 30 Starbucks sites in stores as part of a plan to roll out its dining offering in 250 stores over the next three years.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘We have shared bold new plans to transform our eat-in, takeaway and home delivery food and drink offer through new food halls in partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group and cafes with Starbucks.

‘Our Starbucks cafes and Restaurant Hub in Selly Oak have been really popular with customers and so we want to expand these partnerships, giving customers a bigger and better range of quality, convenient food and drink to choose from in our stores.

‘We understand this will be an unsettling time for colleagues affected. They will be prioritised for vacant roles in Sainsbury’s stores and will be encouraged to explore alternative roles within the wider business as part of the consultation process.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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