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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that 43 Tesco stores closing is a bad sign...

68 replies

MrsTawdry · 28/01/2015 15:09

43! It's so many...Tesco have long been such a household name...why is this happening?

I always shop there and have no problems at all and yes...I've tried Aldi and Asda...can't afford Sainsbury's or Waitrose...Morrisons don't have the range.

Is the country in such a bad way?

OP posts:
IloveJudgeJudy · 28/01/2015 16:06

squoosh You would be happy to see the demise of Tesco, a company that pays its taxes in Britain? Unlike Aldi or Lidl, who are German, Asda is American, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who would lose their jobs? It would be a very bad day for Britain if Tesco is no more and I really mean that.

EatShitDerek · 28/01/2015 16:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GooodMythicalMorning · 28/01/2015 16:17

Its bad but hopefully it means they can concentrate on putting money where it needs it making it better service for the customers.

Horrible that so many people will lose their jobs. I know a few will be redistributed around but probably not very many at all as the other stores will already be fully staffed.

EatShitDerek · 28/01/2015 16:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Topseyt · 28/01/2015 16:21

I only shop in Tesco because there is no realistic alternative for some distance here.

I can't wait until the end of March around here, when a new Aldi is scheduled to open near here. I want to give it a proper try.

I don't wish for the total demise of Tesco because it is a major employer and could cause a lot of families a lot of hardship if it makes thousands of redundancies.

I do think it had become too big and cocky though. It's previous Chief Exec didn't seem up to the job and for me it really went downhill then.

Oddly enough, ours had a fair few special offers on when I was there last week.

usualsuspect333 · 28/01/2015 16:22

I don't feel happy about it either. My DD works for Tesco they are all fearful for their jobs.

GooodMythicalMorning · 28/01/2015 16:25

Most of my family and friends work there. I hope it can recover otherwise we are in a world of trouble.

Lonecatwithkitten · 28/01/2015 16:26

It is very sad for the employees that are losing their jobs, but is a reflection if the fact that Tescos have lost touch with their core customers a little like M&S did a few years ago.
As a business they need to hunker down review their core values and develop a new a better strategy for the business.
The cycle they are currently going through is really common in 'household' name retail.

LurkingHusband · 28/01/2015 16:31

QuestionsaboutDS

There are seven branches of Sainsburys within a 10 minute walk of my house.

Doubtless selling the same identikit stuff ? Try and get provolone cheese.

QuestionsaboutDS · 28/01/2015 16:38

Absolutely Lurking, 6 of the 7 are "Locals" which all have a tiny selection. Costcutter is far better if you want to eg cook a meal from scratch.

Butterpuff · 28/01/2015 16:42

Tesco's have definitely cocked up over the last few years and lost sight of their values. Once upon a time they were the consumers champions. Too many stores and changes in shopping habits have not helped either. It would be a huge shame to see them go but I don't think that is likely. As someone said 43 stores is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, we are losing two within 15 miles of where I live but that still leaves about 5 I could easily reach.

I do feel sorry for all the people being made redundant, and they are not stopping at just closing stores and making redundancies at store level. 30% of head office are set to go from what I have heard, it's a top to bottom cost saving effort which Dave Lewis is implementing as he tries to get back to the people's champion store of the past. I wonder how well he will do.

Chattymummyhere · 28/01/2015 16:48

None of the 14+ in my city are closing Infact they opened two new ones not long ago. Very sad for those who lost their jobs.

Our big one is still running all its promos and yellow labels.

bigbluebus · 28/01/2015 17:06

I expect they will all be stores in areas that are served by other Tesco stores though.
I was reading an article a few weeks ago about the new Tesco store that has been built in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire which is complete but never been opened. The article said there are a dozen Tesco stores within 15 miles of Chatteris - including 3 superstores and 3 Extra stores. There is only so much food and drink a community can buy.
Of course I feel sorry for those who will lose their jobs, but anyone with an ounce of financial sense cannot say they wouldn't have predicted this happening at some point in the future. There are just too many supermarkets.

FringeDivision · 28/01/2015 17:09

Tesco isn't cheap and it isn't a nice shopping experience. So it's hardly a surprise if people choose Aldi/Lidl for cost or Waitrose for 'niceness'.

I feel really sorry for the staff - they are suffering because the management didn't do their jobs properly. Tesco needs to raise its game if it wants to survive. The public doesn't gave the affection for it that exists for m&s so won't get loyal shoppers regardless of crapness.

Original poster
MrsTawdry · 28/01/2015 17:28

Waitrose has opened a huge store near me recently in a very odd area. It's one of those "dead spots" at the wrong end of town...all there was before was a B&M Bargains and a crappy charity shop...I can't see locals using it...they're working class...and the people who might live very close to a big Sainsburys...none of it makes sense.

OP posts:
mummylin2495 · 28/01/2015 17:34

I find it very strange that whilst all these shops are closing. We have a new one opening up in my area tomorrow. It dosent make any sense to me. And not too far away we have. Tesco express and another ten mins from that ( by car) there is another tesco which is quite big with two storeys I think the locals would of preferred to have a different store. I am fed up with tesco and co-op everywhere.would of been a great place to have Morrisons as the nearest is about 45 mins from my area.how awful for all the people losing their jobs.

EatingMyWords · 28/01/2015 17:51

The one in my town is shutting and there are no other Tescos for about 10 miles. The only other (small) supermarket we have is Morrisons. Hardly any jobs round here. Oh, and no Waitrose anywhere near! It looks like it's the poorer areas who will be suffering as usual Sad

BMW6 · 28/01/2015 18:20

I live in Southampton and have no idea if there is a Tesco's within 5 miles of me! I shop at Aldi and Asda - am common as muck, me!

RufusTheReindeer · 28/01/2015 18:22

BMW there's probably loads of small ones, they just creep up on you

And the huge one in Bursledon

penguinpear · 28/01/2015 18:48

I agree with ilovejudgejudy Tesco are a UK company with a UK headquarters and pay uk tax. Aldi and Lidl are German, Asda is American. Hopefully this is a temporary blip for tesco and they are closing some unprofitable stores.

It would be really bad for the UK if tesco failed.

Alisvolatpropiis · 28/01/2015 18:55

It is bad for the employees who will lose their jobs, I feel for them.

Tescos won't fail but I suspect there will now come a period of downsizing/no expansion and an attempt at a rebrand.

HawthornLantern · 28/01/2015 19:09

At least one of the Tescos that is closing down is quite a long standing store - it was there in the early 70s and probably long before that. It was re-branded as a "Metro" and from what I could see was essentially allowed to run down. This might have been because there was a superstore not too far away but I just feel miserable for the workers and the town. There are other supermarkets there - an Aldi or Lidl (can't remember which) and a Morrisons which took over the old Safeway. Probably a necessary decision from a financial point of view for the continued survival of the Tesco group and maybe not much lost by way of local options for the paying customer, but really, really sad and a perfect example of the innocent employees paying the price for misconduct and bad practice at the top of the company.

DollyParsnip · 28/01/2015 19:11

There were 2 huge Tesco stores due to open near me (literally 15 mins from each other) and both are now not being built, leaving one area totally decrepit and run down, the other with a huge crater in the middle of the shopping street where the previous building was.

They are now closing a small Metro store nearby, which has been struggling since an Asda opened less than 5 mins away.

Whilst I feel sorry for the Tesco employees I think that, certainly here, the Company and the Councils have been locked into some kind of game of chicken which has failed.

Alibabsandthe40Musketeers · 28/01/2015 19:14

Tesco are doing badly because they have horrible food, huge stores which take half an hour to find one thing and because they over expanded.

Several family and friends live in 'Tesco towns' where they were the only supermarket for years. As soon as anything else opened people have deserted Tesco and gone to the competition, largely out of resentment at their town and town centre being taken over by this one company. They only have themselves to blame.

SaucyJack · 28/01/2015 19:18

Tesco lost it when they started skanking the coating on the Tiger bread. You used to be able to turn the loaves over and pick the one that was blackest on the bottom. Not any more.

I am sad for those that have lost their jobs. I used to love Tesco.