TESCO Superstore in Middlewich will be closed down, it has been announced.

Staff working at the Southway store were informed yesterday and Tesco have confirmed with the Guardian that the store will close at the end of a staff consultation.

No date has been revealed for closure but staff consultations such as this usually last around 30 days.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We confirm we have announced the closure of the Tesco store at Middlewich.

“We don’t take these decisions lightly and our priority now is to support colleagues affected through this difficult time. We will give more details in due course.”

The Guardian understands that the closure is to make way for Tesco’s new separate discount supermarket chain which will aim at rivalling stores such as Aldi and Lidl.

However, it is not yet known whether this will affect whether staff are made redundant or offered jobs in the new store.

The new chain will be completely separate to Tesco and is thought to be unveiled as ‘Jack’s’ – named after Tesco founder Jack Cohen.

It has been reported that the new chain is expected to be launched as early as September.