Supermarket with 240 shops to close store after ‘difficult decision’- but it’s not all bad news for shoppers

A SUPERMARKET with over 200 shops has closed its doors after a "difficult decision", but it's not all bad news for shoppers.

Central Co-op has confirmed that Tesco will take over one of its branches in Atherstone, Coventry.

The chain said that a "difficult decision" has been made to transfer the Atherstone Large Community Store and petrol station to the well-known chain.

Thankfully for shoppers the store will now be under new management rather than closing down completely.

The takeover will take place by the end of next month, Central Co-Op confirmed.

And all staff made redundant could soon find work again with Tesco.

A Central Co-op spokesman said that all affected staff will be offered employment with Tesco.

But it has been stressed that the outlet in Long Street is not part of the transfer and will remain as a Central Co-op store.

Debbie Robinson, chief executive Central Co-op said: "The decision to transfer any of our stores is not one we take lightly.

"With our Members, customers and colleagues at the heart of everything we do, we want to ensure the communities we serve have the right offering for them.

"In the case of Station Street, Atherstone, this means transferring ownership to another retailer.

"I’d like to thank our colleagues at Station Street for their hard work and commitment to serving their local community in Atherstone."

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retailers in the UK and is independent from Co-op.

It has over 400 trading outlets, including its funeral business, and 240 retail stores.

The chain employs around 7,800 colleagues and more than 330,000 regular trading members.

It comes as Co-op pulled down the shutters on two stores in the last two months.

The retailer closed its branch in Castle House, Sheffield, on July 22, with nearby stores in Broad Lane and Glossop Road remaining open.

Plus,, the chain's branch in Mildenhall Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, is pulled down its shutters for good on August 19.

Meanwhile, Tesco is to permanently close one of its stores on September 15.

The branch in Kilner Way Retail Park in Sheffield was formerly a Jack's supermarket - a discount store launched by Tesco.

If you want to know if any store closures are taking place near where you live, we have a guide to all the store closures taking place in September.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

You can also join our new Sun Money to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.