Brightlingsea’s Fiveways store is set to be leased to Sainsbury’s in a cost-saving exercise by the East of England Co-op.
The change will take place at some point in 2025 – the date has not been confirmed – and the Co-op says that existing staff are expected to transfer to Sainsbury’s as part of a Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) process. The filling station on the site will remain with the current tenant and the travel branch will be relocated to a “nearby location”.
The Co-op’s Felixstowe store will also transfer to Sainsbury’s, with another retailer in talks over a store in Halstead. Doug Field, the chief executive officer at the East of England Co-op, said: “To help us on our journey back to profit we need to reshape our branch portfolio, making sure we have the right branches in the right locations.
“The letting of our Brightlingsea, Felixstowe and Halstead supermarkets will provide the Society with secure long term rental income, allowing us to invest in providing our members, customers and clients with new, modern facilities.”
Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said that the company is “growing its footprint further with new stores that will showcase some of the best that Sainsbury’s has to offer.”
He added: “We’re excited to be bringing Sainsbury’s supermarkets to Felixstowe and Brightlingsea for the first time and we look forward to welcoming these new stores into Sainsbury’s next year.”
Mr. Field continued: “To help us on our journey back to profit we need to reshape our branch portfolio, making sure we have the right branches in the right locations for our co-op.
