Boparan Restaurant Group to open 30 food halls in Sainsbury's stores

Sainsbury’s is to close 200 in-store cafés this spring and expand its partnership with Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) as part of an overhaul of its in-store dining offer.

It follows the successful trial of the Restaurant Hub food hall at Sainsbury's Selly Oak store, which opened last July and includes BRG brands Caffè Carluccio’s, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Ed’s Diner and Slim Chickens.

Sainsbury’s and BRG plan to open 30 more Restaurant Hubs in the next year, with the intention to accelerate the roll-out in future years if the format remains popular.

At the same time, Sainsbury’s will open a further 30 Starbucks coffee shops in its supermarkets within the next 12 months, bringing the total number of Starbucks in its stores to 60.

The retailer said it planned to “transform the eat-in, takeaway and home delivered hot food and drink offer in 250 of its supermarkets over the next three years”.

Around 2,000 café staff are expected to be impacted by the changes, and Sainsbury’s said they would be prioritised for roles within other stores and encouraged to apply for jobs within the wider business.

Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “As we go through this period of transition, we have taken the difficult decision to close 200 of our cafés next month. We have spoken to all colleagues affected by these changes today and are absolutely committed to supporting them in any way we can during this uncertain time.

“Of course, we understand this is very unsettling for our colleagues, but we must keep adapting our business to make sure we are offering customers the best possible food and drink at affordable prices.”

Some 67 Sainsbury’s cafés will stay open while the supermarket reviews rollout plans with BRG and Starbucks.

Sainsbury’s also announced plans to close less popular hot food counters in 34 stores and simplify the way it runs its bakeries in 54 stores. These colleagues will enter into consultation, with the aim of finding them alternate roles where possible.