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02
Jul
Ripon retailer working to protect the jobs of 95 employees
Following confirmation that the Booths store in Ripon will close on Sunday July 20, the upmarket grocer has said it is working to protect the jobs of 95 employees.
In May, the Stray Ferret exclusively revealed that the lease on the company's 18,000 sq ft store at Marshall Way, was being transferred to Tesco and yesterday we sought an update on how consultation with staff is progressing.
In a statement, Booths, said:
Booths have begun a consultation process with their colleagues at the Ripon store relating to a forthcoming transfer of the property lease for the store to Tesco
It is anticipated that all jobs will be protected and transferred to Tesco during this consultation process.
Closing any store is a very difficult decision however we are working to protect all jobs in this process. Ninety-five colleagues from Booths are affected.
Confirmation of the July 20 closing date can be seen on a sign at the store's entrance
The company's statement added:
Since opening in 2009 we have worked hard to refine the offer and improve performance at Ripon, but the challenges of significantly increased operating costs have meant that we cannot see a future where the store will be profitable under the Booths model.
Booths would like to thank all colleagues and customers for their support since the store opened over 16 years ago. We would also like to provide some reassurance that we have no current plans to exit any of our other stores.
Tesco did not give a date when asked this week by the Stray Ferret when it expected to open in the Booths site.
Previously the retailer said:
We can confirm that, following a short closure the Booths Ripon store will re-open as a Tesco store later this year.
All colleagues will have the choice to transfer to the new Tesco store, and there will be a consultation about what the changes mean for colleagues over the coming weeks. There will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of these changes.
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