Plymouth Sainsbury’s cafe is set to close, alongside all Devon locations, prompting disappointment and concerns from local residents.
The company announced this in January. Cafes are not making enough money. Sixty-one in-store cafes will close across the UK. Plymouth, Exeter, Barnstaple, and Torquay are included. This follows two hundred past closures three years ago.
Sainsbury’s states cafe use is going down, but food halls are doing better. They will close patisserie, hot food, and pizza counters. The store will sell those items elsewhere.
These closures will help save money. They want to save one billion pounds. Over three thousand jobs will be lost, even though the company had a good Christmas and still wants to cut costs.
The company hopes to move workers to new roles. This may not be easy, though, as many people are sharing their concern. Some relied on the cafes for community.
One person called it a disgrace, noting that elderly people used the cafe to socialize. Another person thought Sainsbury’s could sell off the cafes. They noted Tesco and ASDA do not operate their own. Another person asked if anyone even used it.
Someone replied that many people use it; retirees often eat there before or after shopping. Others said the cafe was always busy, and another person hoped the staff would be looked after.
Another customer said they liked the breakfast and that the staff was great and worked hard. Someone else said service was slow, but they still enjoyed a cup of tea.
One person stopped going due to menu changes, saying it became too expensive. Another person thought a Costa could take it over, while another person said Somerset stores have Starbucks.
One person thinks this is due to wage increases. Another person thought that it’s all “profits and shareholders.”