200 Sainsbury’s cafes now shut– but Leek remains open

SUPERMARKET giant Sainsbury’s has closed 200 of its cafes, including at its branches in Stoke, Newcastleunder-lyme and Biddulph.

It comes just weeks after Sainsbury’s revealed that it was only retaining 68 of its cafes in a major shake-up. Now signs have gone up in the affected stores warning customers that the cafes are to close.

The closures come as Sainsbury’s plans to open 30 branches of The Restaurant Hubs and 30 Starbucks coffee shops in place of its cafes in the next year. It is hoped that every store will have one of these two services in the next three years.

Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said: “We know that customers like the convenience of being able to have a drink, a snack or a meal while they’re doing their shopping - and that they love the range of food and brands on offer at The Restaurant Hub and from Starbucks.

“Whether customers are shopping for food, for Tu clothing, Habitat homewares or at Argos, the offer at The Restaurant Hub means they can also have breakfast, lunch or dinner in the store - or take a hot meal home with them.

“Through our trials with Boparan Restaurant Group and Starbucks we have learnt that we can offer customers a much better eat-in and takeaway experience working with partners. We are totally focused on improving what we can deliver for our customers and at the same time, working hard to make our business simpler. We are really excited about this new offer.”

Sainsbury’s cafes at its Leek and Nantwich stores have survived this week’s cull.