Bakery revamp puts over 1,800 Tesco jobs at risk

Tesco announced this week that there are 1,816 people facing potential redundancy as part of a revamp of its in-store bakeries, due to start in May.

The supermarket said that it was responding to a shift in consumer demand, which includes buying less traditional loaves in favour of wraps, bagels and flatbreads. The in-store bakeries will be reducing the amount of baking from scratch as a result.

The news comes a year after Tesco revealed it would be closing food counters in around 90 of its stores.

Jason Tarry, UK & ROI CEO at Tesco 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.”

Mark Kacary, managing director of the Norfolk Deli, says, “We hate the idea that this is making anybody employed.” Responding to Tesco’s statement that changes in consumer demand are behind the move, Mark continues, “I refute the claim made that people are buying wraps, flatbreads and bagel in preference to bread. What people might not be doing however is buying poor quality breads in favour of the type of breads they can buy from independents. We feel there has been a rebirth of small independent bakeries. Businesses like Flour Power in and around London or Two Magpies, or Pastonacre and Bread Source here in Norfolk. Bread with flavour, bread with taste, bread that’s worth buying. Rather like a year ago supermarkets like Tesco have realised that its expensive and complex to run and manage a deli counter and that it is as equally complex to operate a bakery where you can create breads and cakes which your customer based wants to buy.

“This can only be good for independents and the independent sector which needs to promote and sell to the public that shopping at independents may be a little like “back to the future” but that if you want specialist great tasting produce go to the experts and not to the “Jack of all trades” supermarket. Incidentally if the public shops at independents and therefore helps them grow they will be able to take anyone with talent from the supermarkets.”

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