// Tesco will close the fish, meat and hot deli counters at 317 stores where demand is at the lowest
// The grocer will also axe Jack’s, the discount chain it launched in 2018 to compete with Aldi, with 130 jobs at risk
Tesco has revealed it will shut fish, meat and hot deli counters at 317 of its stores and plans to axe Jack’s, the value chain it launched in 2018 to compete with Aldi and Lidl.
The grocer said its decision to close the counters is due to a decrease in the number of customers using them on a regular basis.
The 317 stores impacted are where Tesco sees the lowest demand. It will continue to operate counters in 279 stores where there is demand. No jobs will be lost because of the counter closure with impacted staff offered alternative roles.
The winding up of Jack’s will put 130 jobs at risk as Tesco plans to close seven of the 13 stores in the discount chain in the coming months. The remaining six Jack’s stores will be converted to Tesco superstores.
READ MORE: Revealed: Tesco’s new Jack’s store
Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive Jason Tarry said: “We have learnt a huge amount from Jack’s and this has helped Tesco become more competitive, more efficient and strengthened our value proposition, including through the launch of Aldi Price Match. In turn, this has enabled us to consistently attract new customers to Tesco from our competitors over the last two years and we know they increasingly recognise the value they can find at Tesco.
“With the learnings from Jack’s now applied, the time is right to focus on ensuring we continue to deliver the best possible value for customers in our core business.”
However, Jack’s will continued as a product brand that is sold across Booker and its symbol brands.
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