Three West London councillors have written a letter to the CEO of Lidl UK, Ryan McDonnell, urging him to step in as staff in Isleworth are facing potential redundancy.
In the letter obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Councillor Salman Shaheen, Cllr Sue Sampson, and Cllr John Stroud-Turp “implore” the supermarket boss to “be a good neighbour” amid fears of mass redundancy at the Asda Twickenham store, in Isleworth. This comes as Lidl plans to take over the Asda in the Ivybridge Retail Park, which is set to close on June 5.
The LDRS understands Lidl had agreed with Asda to TUPE all 37 staff members over under existing pay, conditions and benefits. TUPE is a law designed to protect employees’ rights when the business they work for transfers to a new owner.
The LDRS has seen an email which states that staff have been told that they are on notice of redundancy as the budget supermarket, which serves one of the poorest parts of Hounslow, intends to close the store for six months to allow for refurbishment works to take place.
In the same email, Asda says it is “incredibly disappointed that Lidl have made this decision, particularly as protecting store colleagues’ employment under TUPE was a key factor in the decision to transfer ownership to another retailer”.
The LDRS understands that Lidl is trying to find jobs for staff at other Lidl stores. Lidl expects to move quickly to minimise the transition period once the legal acquisition is complete – it is currently estimated to take six months.
The ward councillors for Isleworth have written to Lidl’s UK CEO urging him to change course and expedite the refurbishment to prevent one of the poorest areas of the borough being without an affordable supermarket for an extended period of time.
The letter reads: “We recognise how important an affordable supermarket is to the residents of the Ivybridge estate and the wider area, and this has only become more vital in the cost-of-living crisis as families struggle to make ends meet…
“We were very disappointed to learn that while the current Asda staff should transfer over to Lidl on existing conditions under TUPE regulations, as a result of plans to close the store for up to 6 months for refurbishment, Lidl plans to place all staff at risk of redundancy. We urge you to reconsider.
“We ask that you pledge to protect the jobs of all Asda staff, their terms, conditions, and pay. And we would also ask you to try to expedite the refurbishment so that not only are redundancies unnecessary, but our area does not lose a vital affordable supermarket for a significant length of time.”
A spokesperson for Asda said: “Like all major supermarkets, we regularly review our store estate to ensure it continues to meet the needs of our customers and is commercially sustainable. We’d like to thank our colleagues and the local community at our Twickenham supermarket and reassure customers they can still access Asda’s great value and products at our nearby Hounslow superstore or online at asda.com.”
The LDRS understands that Asda is “disappointed” that staff are at risk of redundancy following the transfer to Lidl. Asda is working with staff affected, including by seeking alternative roles at nearby stores.
Philip is a Local Democracy Reporter covering Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, with a focus on council decisions, housing, planning, licensing and community stories across west London.
