Waitrose store in Ipswich's Corn Exchange among four to close in December

Waitrose staff in Ipswich face redundancy after the supermarket giant announced the closure of four stores.

The branch in Ipswich's Corn Exchange is due to close on December 6 along with branches in Caldicot and Shrewsbury.

As a result, 124 staff now face redundancy and will enter into consultations.

The Wolverhampton store has also been sold to Tesco and all of its 140 staff will transfer as part of the deal.

It comes after Waitrose bosses said they had struggles to make the stores 'profitable in the long-term'.

Berangere Michel, executive director of customer service for the John Lewis Partnership, said: "Closing any of our shops is always a last resort and is not a reflection on the dedication of our partners in Caldicot, Ipswich Corn Exchange, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

"Sadly, we have not been able to find a way to make these shops profitable in the long-term, despite the hard work of everyone involved.

"Our priority now is the wellbeing and future of our partners in these shops.

"We will do everything we can to support them and explore opportunities wherever possible for those who may wish to remain with the partnership."

John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose's parent company, said in July that it could close more outlets as part of cost-saving measures.

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