Union members say they intent to “challenge” recently announced plans to shut a Bolton supermarket.
Staff and shoppers alike were shocked this week when Morrisons announced that its Bury Road store in Breightmet had been earmarked for closure.
But a member of shopworkers union Usdaw say the branch had been performing better over the last year which they believe can help them challenge this decision during the consultation process.
Area organiser Michelle Byrne said: “Usdaw has been briefed by Morrisons about their proposed closure of the Breightmet store.
“Our members are shocked by the announcement because they believed the store’s performance had improved over the last twelve months.
“From next week Usdaw will enter a collective consultation process where we will have the opportunity to challenge the business case for the company’s decision and our priority is to keep as many as possible employed with in the business.
“In the meantime we are providing our members with support, advice and representation they need at this difficult time.”
Local representatives were told about the potential for the store to close earlier this week with the news having been broken to the public on Friday morning.
No date has yet been announced for when the store, which is next to a branch of Home Bargains which will not be affected, will close.
The future of the building itself and the staff who work there is also uncertain.
But the company has said that they believe its performance is “unsustainable.”
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A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Following a thorough review of the Breightmet store's operation, unfortunately we do not believe performance is sustainable and we are therefore announcing that we have made the difficult decision to propose to close the store.
"We are endeavouring to communicate and execute these changes carefully and thoughtfully with all those affected.
"We would like to welcome customers in the area to continue shopping with us at our Bolton, Blackhorse Street, store or via Morrisons.com.”
The town centre branch of Morrisons on Blackhorse Street is around a 10 minute drive from the store in Breightmet and takes around 50 minutes walking distance.
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