The Co-op Bank has announced today that it plans to cut 350 jobs and close 18 branches nationwide as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The lender said the job cuts would focus on middle management positions and roles at the Manchester city centre head office.
The branch closures are expected to be completed by 1st December and come after an analysis of footfall in each store, which was actually said to have begun before lockdown was put in place. The bank has said it hopes to re-deploy some of its employees into other parts of the business and it begins consulting with staff and unions.
It has been confirmed that the Ashton-under-Lyne branch is the only branch in the Greater Manchester region that is set to close.
DCPFGY / The Co-op Bank
Andrew Bester – Chief Executive at Co-op Bank – said: “Our people have shown great dedication and commitment to our customers over the past few months, so we are very sorry to announce this news today. Unfortunately, we’re not immune to the impact of recent events, with the historically low base rate affecting the income of all banks and a period of prolonged economic uncertainty ahead, which means it’s important we reduce costs and have the right-sized operating model in place for the future.
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“At the same time, we are responding to the continuing shift of more and more customers choosing to bank online, with lower levels of transactions in branches, a trend which has been increasing for some time, across the banking sector and more broadly.”
The company added that is is “writing to affected customers to provide information about the alternative options available to them, including Post Office counter services, telephone, online and mobile banking”.
This is a breaking news story – More to follow.
Business
Full list of Christmas opening hours at all UK supermarkets 2024
Emily Sergeant
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi, and M&S are among the supermarkets to adjust opening hours at stores across the UK during the festive period.
As Christmas is fast approaching, most of us will have already started to stock up on food and drink for the big day ahead of time, but with so much to prepare for, it’s pretty easy to forget something important – which tends to leave us running to the shops before 25th.
While some have probably opted for home deliveries or Click & Collect services, others still prefer to shop in store.
To help you make sure everything is sorted, we’ve pulled together a list of all the major supermarket opening hours over the festive period, so grab your bags for life and get your shopping list at the ready, because Santa is on his way and he’ll be expecting his annual dose of mince pies.
Here’s a roundup list of supermarket opening hours.
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Tesco
Shoppers are being advised to check the Tesco Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local, as different branches may be operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
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Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 6am – 12pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 6am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Tesco store here.
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Sainsbury’s
Just like Tesco, Sainsbury’s will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, as well as being closed on Christmas day, but shoppers are encouraged to head to the retailer’s Store Locator to find out the opening times for their nearest branch.
Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am to 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 8am – 8pm
You can check the opening times for your local Sainsbury’s store here.
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Asda
Following along the same lines as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, Asda shoppers are being advised to check the Asda Store Locator for the festive opening times at their local store, as different branches are operating different hours, however, most stores are operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, as well as being closed all day on Christmas Day.
Here’s a rough guideline:
Monday 23 December: 5am to 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am – 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am – 6pm
Check the opening times for your local ASDA store here.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, and more have adjusted their opening hours for the festive period / Credit: Tesco
Morrisons
Morrisons is open throughout the festive season, just like its other competitions, and will only closing on Christmas Day, but hours will vary so you’ll need to check the opening times for your local.
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 5am to 7pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 9am – 6pm
Friday 27 – Monday 30 December: normal hours
New Year’s Eve: 7am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: 9am to 6pm
Check the opening times for your local Morrisons store here.
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Aldi
Aldi stores across the UK are set to close of the three major festive bank holidays this year, meaning doors will be shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, with reduced hours in operation on the days surrounding it.
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Here’s what you need to know:
Monday 23 December: 7am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 7am – 6pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 9.30am – 4pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 8pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
You can find out more about the supermarket’s decision to shut up shop on the three festive bank holidays this year here.
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Lidl
Lidl has released a list of its festive opening hours, and just like Aldi, will also be closing most of its stores on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, but you’ll want to check Lidl’s website to find out more information.
Just like many other retailers on this list, Co-op’s opening times vary from store to store over the festive period, but the retailer has confirmed it will be operating reduced hours on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day – with all branches closed on Christmas Day across the UK as a standard.
Shoppers are being urged to check the Co-op Store Finder for the opening hours for their nearest branch here.
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M&S
Once again, M&S is another retailer where festive opening hours differ from store to store, so it’s best to check your local branch specifically, but what we do know is that all stores across the UK will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day as a standard.
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Monday 23 December: 6am – 10pm
Christmas Eve: 6am – 7pm
Christmas Day & Boxing Day: CLOSED
Friday 27 & Saturday 28 December: 8am – 8pm
Sunday 29 December: 11am – 5pm
Monday 30 December: 8am – 9pm
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 7pm
New Year’s Day: CLOSED
Check the opening times for your local M&S store here.
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Featured Image – Morrisons
Business
How much money Manchester United spent on Dan Ashworth only for him to leave five months later
Danny Jones
Manchester United’s ‘new’ sporting director Dan Ashworth only made the move to Old Trafford back in July and now, just five months later, he has officially left by ‘mutual agreement’.
Announced over the weekend, not only did the news come much to the surprise of United fans but given that his appointment was confirmed long before his start date, Ashworth actually spent almost just as long not quite having joined the club as he did on the job. Sounds messy, we know – because it is.
In short, both Newcastle and now Manchester United’s 53-year-old ex-sporting director was placed on gardening leave back in February after a clear approach by what would be his short-lived new home.
They also paid the North East side a large sum to secure his services – far from a measly number when you consider where else they’ve pinched pennies this year…
INEOS at Manchester United:
– Got rid of Dan Ashworth after five months having had him on gardening leave for the same amount of time. Oh and paid £3 million for him.
– Put ticket prices up to £66 for everyone, including children and pensioners.
To put things into context, while in footballing terms £3 million might not sound like a lot of money (the industry being as overinflated as it is), when you take into account what that money could have gone towards, it doesn’t necessarily make for great reading.
Oh yeah, you also have to tot up how much he was paid as his regular wage during a five-month stint in which even more money was spent on players and those hoping to grab a ticket to one of the remaining games this season (we’re not even in Christmas yet) were asked to fork of £66 for the privilege.
The technical director for the FA’s elite development programme will have likely been on a higher wage in Manchester than he was in Newcastle, where he is said to have taken home around £1.5m a year, and probably notched a good chunk of that amount in less than half a year.
Even operating on the assumption that the INEOS Group matched his rate at St James’ Park, this means that he will have made at the very least an estimated £625k since switching Uniteds.
Add that on top of The Times‘ claims that the actual compensation figure Jim Ratcliffe and co. paid to release him from his previous role were actually upwards of the reported figure, then you’re looking at something closer to over £5m for as many months of work.
Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth left his role after just five months.
Just as a reminder, roughly £200m has been spent on new players since Ashworth took up the position and 250 staff members were made redundant from various roles throughout the club, which was also said to have tacked on another £8.6m to the overall expenditure.
Although exact details are still yet to be fully verified, Ashworth and the new United hierarchy have clearly clashed: it is thought he was lumped with the decision to keep Erik ten Hag and extend his contract before his eventual sacking and also made clear suggestions as to his replacement.
It is also thought Ashworth had tipped other frontrunners to replace the Dutchman instead of new head coach Ruben Amorim, who CEO Omar Berrada to tie down before his former employers Manchester City could line up as Pep Guardiola’s eventual successor.
Whatever ultimately comes out in the wash, we think it’s fair to say it all sounds like a bit of a shambles and the atmosphere around the club – especially following the recent protests over increased ticket prices – looks to be less than rosy once again.
One thing is for sure, like most of those who have attempted since Sir Alex Ferguson, the new manager has walked into a much bigger task than he could have ever predicted and given the Ashworth developments, recent sackings and fan frustration on multiple fronts, United could really do with a win.
Featured Images — BT Sport (screenshot via YouTube)
The Manc -
25th August 2020 
