The Co-operative Group has confirmed it will close Somerfield’s headquarters as part of its takeover deal, in a move that will affect 750 jobs.
The group said it would relocate “as many as possible” of Somerfield’s Bristol employees to a merged head office in Manchester. It could not rule out redundancies, it said, but stressed that it was too early to tell whether all affected employees would keep their jobs.
A Co-op spokesman said: “Somerfield has some great people and during the integration process we will endeavour to offer relocation opportunities to as many of them as possible.”
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The £1.6bn takeover deal, on track to be completed by April, will make the retailer the fifth largest food store, behind the ‘big four’ of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.
The Co-op, which is taking over 650 stores, will run the Somerfield business separately for up to two years.
