A HIGH street giant is to close two depots in a move that puts 1,400 jobs at risk.
Sainsbury’s has said it plans to close two Argos depots.
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It said 1,400 jobs will be affected by the closure of the sites, which serve its Argos stores, including both Sainsbury’s workers and those who work for Wincanton as part of an outsourced contract.
The supermarket will close its Argos warehouse in Basildon, Essex, and a depot in Heywood, Greater Manchester, by 2026.
Sainsbury’s bought Argos’s parent Home Retail Group in 2016 in a £1.4billion takeover.
The depots marked for closure serve Argos stores in the South East and North respectively.
Those impacted by the proposals will have the opportunity to explore alternative roles within Sainsbury’s and Argos.
Sainsbury’s also announced alongside the changes that its three remaining Habitat showrooms will close.
The Habitat stores in Brighton, Leeds and White City’s Westfield will close by the end of 2023.
But the supermarket plans to launch a replacement digital Habitat showroom.
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It comes after The Sun revealed a raft of Argos branch closures.
The brand is moving away from the high street and expanding its presence in supermarkets, with concessions inside branches.
The brand is already shutting a handful of standalone stores on high streets with one closing its doors within weeks.
Argos’ Coatbridge branch in Lanarkshire, Scotland will shut its doors forever on Saturday, March 11.
Cardiff Bay’s Argos will close in July – but Sainsbury’s has not yet given an exact date.
Argos will then close its Newport, Wales branch later on in the summer.
It follows the closures of two standalone Argos branches in January.
The Coventry City Arcade store pulled down the shutters for the final time on January 7.
Argos closed its flagship store in Nottingham City Centre on January 14.
The latest closures come after the retailer announced it will shut all its 34 stores in the Republic of Ireland.
But while high streets lose out, Sainsbury’s supermarkets gain.
By the end of March 2023, the retailer will have opened 25 Argos locations inside Sainsbury’s stores.
By March 2024 Sainsbury’s expects to have 160 standalone stores and between 430 and 460 Argos counters inside Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
