Sainsbury’s is to cut 3,500 jobs with the closure of 420 Argos outlets and all its meat, fish and deli counters.
The 420 standalone Argos stores will close by March 2024, although Sainsbury’s said it would open 150 Argos outlets in its supermarkets.
Boss Simon Roberts said Sainsbury’s was responding to changing consumer habits and the growth of online shopping.
He said the counter closures was a response to lower customer demand and a desire to reduce food waste.
The supermarket also reported half-year results, revealing a £137m loss which it blamed on closures and “market changes”.
It comes on the day England enters a second lockdown, which Sainsbury’s said would continue to accelerate “a number of shifts in our industry” as it expands its online and digital operations.
“We are talking to colleagues today about where the changes we are announcing in Argos standalone stores and food counters impact their roles,” said Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s chief executive.
“We will work really hard to find alternative roles for as many of these colleagues as possible and expect to be able to offer alternative roles for the majority of impacted colleagues.”
He said the aim was to make Argos “a simpler, more efficient and more profitable business”. Products from the Habitat brand will also be more widely available in the stores and via Argos.
“Our other brands – Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar and Sainsbury’s Bank – must deliver for their customers and for our shareholders in their own right,” he said.
Despite the cutting of the 3,500 roles, the supermarket expects that it will have created about 6,000 net new jobs by the end of the year.