Tesco to close six remaining Homeplus stores

Tesco will close its six remaining Homeplus stores with the loss of up to 450 jobs.

Britain's largest retailer said stores in Bristol, Bracknell, Nottingham, Denton, Bromborough and Preston will close next month.

Six Homeplus stores, which sold clothing, electrical goods and furniture, were included in 43 store closures Tesco revealed in January.

Tesco will try to offer affected workers alternative roles, it said.

"We've taken the difficult decision to close our remaining six Homeplus stores. Our priority is now to explain what this announcement means for our colleagues and wherever possible, offer them alternative roles with Tesco," said a spokesman for the retailer.

Chief executive Dave Lewis is cutting costs and closing and selling parts of the Tesco empire in the wake of stiffer competition from cheaper rivals such as Aldi and Lidl.

Tesco reported the worst results in its history with a record pre-tax loss of £6.4bn for the year to the end of February.

The supermarket giant is still being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) after it overstated its half-year profit forecast last August by £263m.