THE exact date a major supermarket with more than 300 UK branches is set to close has been revealed.
Waitrose fans were saddened to hear their beloved store will be pulling down the shutters for good.
The site, located in Hall Green, Birmingham, announced it will close its doors for the final time after welcoming customers for more than 50 years.
Execs dubbed the move a sad “last resort” after failing to bring in higher profits.
Redundancy consultations have been started with the store’s 123 members of staff.
Hall Green North Councillor, Saima Suleman, shared the sad news on Facebook this week.
It sparked an outcry among shoppers who claimed they “want to move now”.
Someone wrote: “Hall Green isn’t what it was I think it needs to be more suitably placed.”
Another resident said: “This has made me want to move now.”
Others added on social media: “That’s disappointing! It’s one of my favourites since moving back to Birmingham in this area.”
“I’m so gutted,” agreed a fourth.
“Sad – it was always nice to have it at my door step. The staff in there are really friendly and helpful. What a shame!”, penned another.
The exact closure date was confirmed by Waitrose, and is set in January next year.
James Allen, head of retail operations at the supermarket, said: “Our priority now is doing everything we can to support our Partners at Waitrose Hall Green and we will explore opportunities, wherever possible, for those partners who may wish to remain with the Partnership.
“Closing any of our shops is always a last resort and is in no way a reflection on their hard work and dedication.”
A spokesperson for Waitrose added: “Regrettably, we’ve announced our intent to close Waitrose Hall Green in Birmingham at the end of trade on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
“Despite the best efforts of our partners, we’ve unfortunately not been able to find a way to make the shop commercially sustainable.
“The 123 partners who work in the shop will now enter a period of consultation. If the redundancy proposals go ahead, every effort will be made to find those who wish to remain within the partnership new roles
“Customers will continue to be able to get all their groceries on waitrose.com, our nearby Waitrose Solihull shop, under three miles away, and other on demand locations in the event the closure is confirmed.
“The John Lewis partnership is committed to providing support to those partners who are at risk of redundancy.
“We’ll be exploring opportunities for partners within the partnership first, and our retraining fund will contribute up to £3,000 towards a recognised qualification or course for up to two years for any partner with two years’ service or more who is made redundant.
“They would also be given access to a three month support programme with an outplacement specialist to help with CV writing and interview skills.”
In addition to statutory redundancy payments, staff who have worked with the business for more than 90 days would be entitled to Partnership redundancy pay, which equates to one week’s pay for every year of service.
It comes as the retailer confirmed it will close all stores to give staff a break on Boxing Day.
The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has exclusively told The Sun it will shut all its standalone John Lewis stores on December 25 and 26.
Only its shops within the Trafford and Stratford shopping centres will remain open.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Waitrose stores, also operated by the JLP, will close on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
That means over 300 Waitrose branches and 33 John Lewis sites will be closed to customers on December 26.
A handful of Waitrose shops attached to petrol stations will remain open on Boxing Day though.
John Lewis bosses say turnaround is working as sales start to grow
By Ashley Armstrong
JOHN LEWIS bosses have declared that the retailer has got its buzz back — but remained schtum on whether staff would have their cherished bonuses restored.
The employee-owned retail group yesterday toasted a turnaround in fortunes as sales grew and its losses narrowed from £59million to £30million.
Nish Kankiwala, chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership, yesterday said that he also expected profits to “significantly improve” this year.
However, he said that a decision on staff bonuses, which often used to be equivalent to a month or two’s pay, would not be taken until March.
John Lewis has not paid its staff — known as partners — a bonus for three out of the four years of outgoing chair Dame Sharon White’s tenure as it has battled with the aftermath of the pandemic.
Earlier this year, Dame Sharon said bonuses could be paid only when it reported sustainable profits.
Dame Sharon, who unusually did not take part in the results call, will be replaced on Monday by ex-Tesco boss Jason Tarry.
The changing of the guard comes amid signs that its decision to “unashamedly focus on retail” once again has paid off.
It said that it has invested more in stores and customer service after being accused of heavy-handed cost-cutting.
The partnership has been bolstered by strong trading at Waitrose, with boss James Bailey saying the upmarket grocer was on track for the most profitable year for a decade.
It had struggled during the cost of living crisis as shoppers switched to the discounters but easing pressures has boosted its sales by five per cent.
It said that the mix between price increases and shoppers buying more food was evenly split.
Mr Bailey said: “Two million more people shop in Waitrose than two years ago.”
At John Lewis sales were down three per cent to £2billion although it blamed the wider fashion and furniture market slowdown.
Department store head Peter Ruis said the retailer’s decision to revive its Never Knowingly Undersold price promise had already paid off, with strong sales in its beauty and electrical brands.
