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‘Big Four’ grocer Tesco has announced a major overhaul to its in-store bakery operations, putting 1,816 staff at risk of redundancy.
Some 58 stores will now have products delivered pre-prepared, then baked and finished in-store – as opposed to being baked from scratch.
However, as a result of these stores doing less ‘scratch baking’, as well as the “simplified routines these changes will bring”, Tesco said it will need “fewer colleagues to work in these areas”.
Tesco said its priority will be to support the affected colleagues, which includes finding alternative roles across its store network.
It comes after the retailer saw a “big shift in customer tastes and preferences”, reporting an increase in the sales of wraps, bagels and flatbreads and a decrease in the number shoppers buying “traditional” loaves of bread.
Jason Tarry, UK and ROI CEO, said: “We need to adapt to changing customer demand and tastes for bakery products so that we continue to offer customers a market-leading bakery range in store.
“We know this will be very difficult for colleagues who are impacted, and our priority is to support them through this process. We hope that many will choose to stay with us in alternative roles.”
