Sainsbury’s issues major update on closure of patisserie and hot food counters after shutting 61 in-store cafes

SAINSBURY’S has issued a major update on the closure of all remaining patisserie, hot food and pizza counters in its larger stores.

One of the UK’s biggest supermarkets has shut the counters as part of a major shake-up of its store estate.

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It is not clear when the pizza counters closed while is understood the patisserie and hot food counters shuttered last month.

It comes after Sainsbury’s said they would close “by early summer” in its financial results published last month.

The most popular items previously sold at the patisserie and pizza counters are being moved to shelves elsewhere in stores.

It means shoppers will still be able to get hold of certain bakery items while new self-service bread slicing machines are being phased in.

A Sainsbury’s insider previously said the freed-up counter spaces would be replaced with areas selling gluten-free and dairy-free produce.

The closures come as part of a wide-ranging update of Sainsbury’s’ store estate which also saw 61 in-store cafes shut on April 11.

The cafe spaces are likely to be replaced with restaurants run by franchises such as Starbucks and Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

The supermarket said its hybrid cafe and food halls were becoming popular among shoppers.

Sainsbury’s first announced the store overhaul in January, as it revealed 3,000 head office staff would also lose their jobs in a senior team shake-up.

At the time, chief executive Simon Roberts said the changes would “ensure we continue to drive forward our momentum”.

It is not clear when the 3,000 staff will lose their jobs, with the cohort making up around 20% of senior management roles.

The major update at the start of the year came after Sainsbury’s toasted its “biggest ever” Christmas trading period.

But the supermarket is also trying to cut costs by £1 billion-a-year, and last year it cut about 1,500 roles.

In late 2024, the company said tax increases from the October Budget would add an extra £140million to costs.

Last month, employer National Insurance contributions were hiked from 13.8% to 15% and the threshold at which they are paid lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.

Meanwhile, the national minimum wage was also increased in a double whammy for businesses.

SUPERMARKETS AXING SECTIONS

Sainsbury’s is not the first supermarket to announce a major overhaul of its stores, with Tesco ditching delis and hot food counters in 2023.

The move came after the retailer said it had seen a big drop in demand for the use of its counters in the preceding years.

Tesco said all staff working across the sections would be offered new roles in the business.

The move to close the underused counters started in 2019, when Tesco also said it would axe 9,000 jobs.

In March, Morrisons said it would shut 52 cafes and 17 stores and axe a number of in-store services.

Rami Baitiéh, chief executive, said the plans would allow the supermarket to invest in other areas of the business.

The 17 Daily convenience stores have now all closed, with the last branch shutting on May 14.

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