
British supermarket giant with over 1,200 locations announces ‘devastating' closure of store with 50 jobs at risk
'HUGE BLOW' British supermarket giant with over 1,200 locations announces 'devastating' closure of store with 50 jobs at risk
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A SUPERMARKET giant has announced a "devastating" store closure - putting 50 jobs at risk.
The popular chain confirmed that it proposes to shut its shop doors due to a rent increase that would make the store no longer "viable commercially", Barking and Dagenham Post reports.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
Asda has announced a store closure which could put 50 jobs on the line
Credit: Google Maps
Jobs at risk as supermarket announces closure
The current lease ends in September.
This closure of Asda's store in Anchor Retail Park, Stepney Green could impact 50 of its employees.
The news has been described as "devastating" by GMB union.
GMB region officer Keith Dixon told Barking and Dagenham Post: "This is devastating news for the shop staff, many of whom have worked at Asda for years.
"We have many GMB members in this store and they are understandably concerned about their jobs."
He added: "We hope that the majority may be able to move to neighbouring stores, but if that is not possible there could be job losses."
Mr Dixon also explained that this closure will be a massive blow to the community who have used the store since its opening nearly 10 years ago.
GMB are attending ongoing consultation meetings in the hopes of securing positions at other locations for these employees.
Mr Dixon explained that those who do not wish to move stores will unfortunately face redundancy.
Costa Coffee Shuts Whitstable Branch: What Shop Closures Mean for UK High Streets
Asda issues statement
An Asda spokesperson said: 'We are currently consulting with colleagues regarding the proposed closure of our Stepney Green supermarket.
"The lease on the premises is due to expire in September, and unfortunately, the new terms proposed by the landlord include a significant rent increase, which would make the store financially unviable.
"Our priority throughout this process is to support our colleagues, and wherever possible, we will look to redeploy them to other roles within Asda.
'We also understand that customers will be disappointed by this decision if it goes ahead, but we would like to reassure them that they can still get their favourite products and great value at our nearby Isle of Dogs superstore.'
Supermarket closures in 2025
Asda is not the only major retailer facing store closures.
The Sun reported last month that a number of Co-op branches are at risk of shutting their doors.
The popular high street store could be closing 34 locations after facing financial struggles.
Morrisons also shuttered 16 of its stores in April this year as the retailer continues to make cuts.
Residents took to Facebook to express their disappointment, with one writing: "It's such a shame."
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre's decline.
The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April 2025, will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Carpetright, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins, Paperchase, Ted Baker, The Body Shop, Topshop and Wilko to name a few.
What's increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Shoppers race to get their hands on popular Christmas chocolate spotted on shelves at a major supermarket
A POPULAR Christmas chocolate has been spotted at a major supermarket, despite the big day being five months away. Eagle-eyed shoppers have spotted pouches of Quality Street chocolates on the shelves in Asda. 1 Shoppers have raced to get their hands on Quality Street Favourites pouches The pouches of Quality Street Favourites cost £3.50 for a 334g bag. Every pouch contains just a few flavours of Quality Street chocolate, helping to avoid leaving unwanted sweets at the bottom of your tin. Among the flavours on offer are Mixed Cremes and a Golden Selection. Shoppers have taken to social media to voice their excitement at spotting the popular treats. One person took to Facebook to share the news and said: 'Things are getting festive at Asda.' A second person commented and said: 'I love christmas so it's perfect, just waiting for the Christmas decorations in The Range.' While a third added: 'Might try and get some of these for our pick n mix table xx.' But not everyone was excited about spotting Christmas treats in stores so early in the year. One disgruntled person said: 'In July??' While another added: 'Oh crikey.' It's not the only Quality Street treat on offer in Asda. The supermarket also brought back the Green Triangle-inspired sharing bar after two years. It costs £3.50 for an 84g bar and it has the flavours of the iconic Green Triangle, which is usually found in Quality Street tins. The bars landed on shelves in 2023 but were axed just a year later. Why are products axed or recipes changed? ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders. Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether. They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers. There are several reasons why this could be done. For example, government regulation, like the "sugar tax," forces firms to change their recipes. Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs. They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable. For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018. It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version. Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year. Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks. While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose. Meanwhile, Asda is also selling festive Dairy Milk Winter Wonderland chocolate bars. The milk and white chocolate bar contains Christmas tree-shaped pieces and is described as 'perfect for a stocking filler or a little treat at Christmas time' by Cadbury. It costs £1.64 for a 100g bar. The supermarket is also selling Terry's Chocolate Orange Segsations, which contain five delicious flavours. The bags weigh 360g and cost £3.50. More chocolate news The Quality Street bar isn't the only popular treat to return to supermarkets. Mars recently brought back its White Chocolate Maltesers after 11 years off shelves. Plus more chocolates are launching in supermarkets. Cadbury has released a new Dairy Milk Iced Latte flavour in the UK. The bar combines classic Dairy Milk chocolate with a creamy coffee filling and crunchy biscuit pieces. Cadbury also recently brought out a White Dipped Twirl that is a mix of milk and white chocolate. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Shoppers race to get their hands on popular Christmas chocolate spotted on shelves at a major supermarket
A POPULAR Christmas chocolate has been spotted at a major supermarket, despite the big day being five months away. Eagle-eyed shoppers have spotted pouches of Quality Street chocolates on the shelves in Asda. The pouches of Quality Street Favourites cost £3.50 for a 334g bag. Every pouch contains just a few flavours of Quality Street chocolate, helping to avoid leaving unwanted sweets at the bottom of your tin. Among the flavours on offer are Mixed Cremes and a Golden Selection. Shoppers have taken to social media to voice their excitement at spotting the popular treats. One person took to Facebook to share the news and said: 'Things are getting festive at Asda.' A second person commented and said: 'I love christmas so it's perfect, just waiting for the Christmas decorations in The Range.' While a third added: 'Might try and get some of these for our pick n mix table xx.' But not everyone was excited about spotting Christmas treats in stores so early in the year. One disgruntled person said: 'In July??' While another added: 'Oh crikey.' It's not the only Quality Street treat on offer in Asda. The supermarket also brought back the Green Triangle-inspired sharing bar after two years. It costs £3.50 for an 84g bar and it has the flavours of the iconic Green Triangle, which is usually found in Quality Street tins. The bars landed on shelves in 2023 but were axed just a year later. Why are products axed or recipes changed? ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders. Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether. They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers. There are several reasons why this could be done. For example, government regulation, like the "sugar tax," forces firms to change their recipes. Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs. They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable. For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018. It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version. Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year. Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks. While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose. Meanwhile, Asda is also selling festive Dairy Milk Winter Wonderland chocolate bars. The milk and white chocolate bar contains Christmas tree-shaped pieces and is described as 'perfect for a stocking filler or a little treat at Christmas time' by Cadbury. It costs £1.64 for a 100g bar. The supermarket is also selling Terry's Chocolate Orange Segsations, which contain five delicious flavours. The bags weigh 360g and cost £3.50. More chocolate news The Quality Street bar isn't the only popular treat to return to supermarkets. Mars recently brought back its White Chocolate Maltesers after 11 years off shelves. Plus more chocolates are launching in supermarkets. Cadbury has released a new Dairy Milk Iced Latte flavour in the UK. The bar combines classic Dairy Milk chocolate with a creamy coffee filling and crunchy biscuit pieces. Cadbury also recently brought out a White Dipped Twirl that is a mix of milk and white chocolate. .


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
You're doing your supermarket shop wrong! Experts reveal why you should NEVER buy items at eye-level
It's a weekly chore that many people dread. And now it turns out you've probably been doing your supermarket shop wrong. Experts from Which? have revealed why you should never buy items at eye-level. While these items might look tempting, they're probably a lot more expensive than products stored at less accessible heights. If you really want to bag a bargain, it's best to cast your eyes downwards, according to Which?. 'The most expensive brands are often at eye level, while cheaper products tend to be on the bottom shelves,' the consumer champion explained. 'For example, PG Tips (£2.98 for an 80-pack) commandeered the top three shelves in Asda's tea aisle, while its own-label tea bags sat on the bottom shelves (£2 for an 80-pack). 'And branded doesn't necessarily mean better – Asda's Everyday Tea Bags beat the big-name brands' tea bags in our blind taste test.' Supermarkets use a range of sneaky tactics to try to force shoppers to part with their cash. One of the most manipulative measures is the strategic arrangement of items on supermarket shelves - also known as the 'planogram'. 'A planogram is defined as a 'diagram or model that indicates the placement of retail products on shelves in order to maximise sales',' explained Professor Graham Kendall, Professor of Operations Research at the University of Nottingham in an article for The Conversation. One phrase commonly used within planograms is 'eye level is buy level', according to Professor Kendall. 'Products positioned at eye level are likely to sell better,' he explained. 'You may find that the more expensive options are at eye level or just below, while the store's own brands are placed higher or lower on the shelves. 'Next time you are in a supermarket, just keep note of how many times you need to bend down, or stretch, to reach something you need. You might be surprised.' Beyond the planogram, the location of items in an aisle is also important. 'There is a school of thought that goods placed at the start of an aisle do not sell as well,' Professor Kendall added. 'A customer needs time to adjust to being in the aisle, so it takes a little time before they can decide what to buy.' If you want to avoid getting suckered in by these tactics, the best thing to do is write a shopping list and stick to it, according to Which?. 'Supermarkets use other tactics to encourage us to spend more, too, such as stocking essential items such as milk and eggs at the back of the store and far away from each other,' the consumer champion added. 'Then they stop us in our tracks with brightly coloured signs, end-of-aisle displays and eye-catching special and seasonal offers. 'Avoid being sucked in by writing a shopping list and sticking to it.'