Tesco has named the 43 stores it is closing across the UK, a move that will see 2,000 staff lose their jobs.
The supermarket giant is currently informing staff at the affected stores.
The Express and Home Plus stores will close on March 15 with the Tesco Metros and Superstores on the list closing on April 4.
Tesco warned earlier this month that 43 stores would be shut as part of plans to cut costs.
The company’s CEO Dave Lewis said the decision to close the stores was “exceptionally difficult”.
“Our priority is to explain what this announcement means for our colleagues and, wherever possible, offer them alternative roles with Tesco,” he added.
Superstore closures include those in Doncaster and Chatham, while the DIY and homeware Homeplus closures include stores in Edinburgh and Southampton.
In total, 18 Express, 12 Metro, seven superstores and six Homeplus stores are shutting their doors.
Tesco’s announcement marks a stark contrast to Tuesday’s update from online grocery shopping Waitrose that detailed plans to create 2,000 jobs in new shops and by expanding existing sites.
The retailer is opening 14 new shops from spring this year, seven of them smaller convenience outlets.
However, of the so-called “big four” supermarkets, which includes Tesco as well as Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda, most are shelving expansion plans or even closing stores.
In November, Sainsbury’s said it was scrapping plans for new stores, while Morrissons plans to close 10 loss-making stores this year.
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There’s a world of difference between Delia Smith and Pippa Middleton when it comes to tips about food, but that hasn’t stopped Waitrose ditching the former and giving the latter her own column in its magazine.
Pippa’s Friday Night Feasts will advise on the best meals to start the weekend off with friends.
“It will be an exciting opportunity to share my own passion and enthusiasm for food and entertaining,” said Pippa Middleton, 29.
A picture of a beaming Pippa Middleton features on the front cover of the latest edition of the Waitrose Kitchen magazine.
She said: “I’m delighted to be writing for Waitrose Kitchen, a magazine that’s always been a source of inspiration to me.”
Editor William Sitwell said his latest signing would be “an excellent contributor…bringing with her a wealth of experience of entertaining”.
He added: “Readers will love her relaxed and easy entertaining ideas which will help with the preparation for all sorts of occasions.”
The company refused to issue a copy of the first column due out on March 28.
However, if Pippa Middleton’s book Celebrate is anything to go by readers can expect such illuminating advice as having a bonfire on Bonfire Night and serving pumpkin soup in a hollowed-out pumpkin at Halloween.
The decision by Waitrose to drop Delia Smith earlier this year was met with uproar among many of its customers, who have relied on her cooking know-how for decades.
Pippa Middleton gets food column in Waitrose Kitchen magazine
The deal with Waitrose follows further evidence of how the Middletons appear to be cashing in on their association with the Royal Family.
In December, only weeks after the announcement that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her first child, the Middletons’ Party Pieces website presented a range of baby goods.
The “Little Prince” and “Little Princess” party packs are described as suitable for American-style baby showers.
Last year, the website set up by Pippa and Kate Middleton’s mother Carole in 1987, offered paraphernalia themed around the Royal Wedding and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Shoppers will have to pay £1.20 ($1.9) a month for a copy of the Waitrose magazine if they want to discover Pippa Middelton’s advice on feasting, although it is free to those with Waitrose and John Lewis cards.
The column on the magazine appears to be part of a PR strategy to create a Pippa Middleton brand.
She has started using her name and photograph to promote the products sold on the Party Pieces website.
This significant move to boost Pippa Middleton’s own profile occurred in between her holidaying in Mustique with stockbroker Nico Jackson, 35, and then taking off on a skiing trip with him in Zermatt.
