The supermarket giant told shareholders it also plans to: close 30-40 convenience stores, open about 10 new supermarkets, and close 10-15 existing supermarkets.
The change will deliver an ongoing operating benefit of around £20m per year, the retailer said.
The news came as Sainsbury’s reported a 0.1% increase in total retail sales in the second quarter ended 21 September, like-for-like sales fell 0.2%.
The supermarket giant’s grocery sales increased by 0.6% in the 12-week period.
Mike Coupe, chief executive, said: “Sales momentum was stronger in all areas and we further improved our performance relative to our competitors, particularly in grocery. We have focused on reducing prices on every day food and grocery products and expanding our range of value brands, which have been very popular with customers. At the same time, we are investing significantly in our supermarkets, driving consistent improvements to service and availability.”
In response to the news, Usdaw national officer Dave Gill said: “Since Sainsbury’s acquired Argos we have dealt with a large number of store relocations, moving stand-alone stores into supermarkets. This announcement is a continuation of that programme. We have always prioritised seeking redeployment opportunities and we have been successful in avoiding any compulsory redundancies throughout the process.”
