Co-Op supermarkets in Essex to shut and become Sainsbury's

The East of England Co-Op
-Credit: (Image: Daniel Jones Photography)


A supermarket chain is in the process of selling off two of its Essex stores to make way for new retailers. The East of England Co-Op has confirmed it will be transferring the lease of its store in Brightlingsea to Sainsbury's as it tries to return to profit.

The supermarket brand is also transferring its unit in Hamilton Road, Felixstowe on the Essex border to Sainsbury's along with the shop in Samson's Road, Brightlingsea. East of England Co-Op is also looking to close its store in Weavers Court, Halstead, though a new retailer has not yet been confirmed to take over.

East of England Co-Op has said that as part of a transfer of undertakings process, all staff employed at the stores going to Sainsbury's will keep their jobs working for the new chain.

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Doug Field OBE, Chief Executive Officer at the East of England Co-op, said: “We’ve informed our colleagues and tenants at our Brightlingsea, Felixstowe and Halstead supermarkets of our plans to lease and transfer these sites as going concerns, protecting both jobs and local services.

"This is in no way a reflection on our incredible colleagues, who provide fantastic service to our members and customers. We’ll keep affected colleagues and our members updated as these discussions progress, however, at this time we’re unable to share any further information.”

Simon Roberts, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “As we progress with our Next Level Sainsbury’s plan, we remain laser-focused on delivering the best combination of value and quality in the market and customers continue to recognise this. We want to keep building on this momentum, which is why we are growing our footprint further with new stores that will showcase some of the best that Sainsbury’s has to offer.

"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.”

The East of England Co-op has confirmed that its Petrol Filling Stations at Brightlingsea and Felixstowe are unaffected by this announcement, as well as the tenants of these properties. The freehold ownership will remain under the ownership of the East of England Co-op.

The East of England Co-op Travel branches in each of the three sites will relocate to nearby locations in the near future. The funeral services branch in Felixstowe is also unimpacted by this announcement and will remain in its current location on Hamilton Road.

Mr. Field added: “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. 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."