In a statement, Tesco said 130 roles at the seven Jack’s stores earmarked for closure and at head office would be affected by the changes. The retail giant said it was “working very closely with these colleagues and our priority is to try and find alternative roles at Tesco for all who want to stay with us.”

Staff currently working at the six Jack’s stores set to be converted to Tesco superstores would be automatically offered new roles.

Tesco launched Jack’s in 2018 as a large-site discounter to help it compete with Aldi and Lidl. However, the retailer said the pandemic had changed the way that customers chose to shop for groceries, and having “learned a tremendous amount from Jack’s, and with that experience now absorbed into Tesco, the time is right to focus on continuing to deliver great value in our core business.”