Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarket, said up to 2,000 people could lose their jobs when the group closes the 43 unprofitable stores it plans to shut.

The firm named the 43 stores on Wednesday. They consist of 18 Express stores, 12 Metro stores, seven superstores and six Homeplus stores.

Tesco is currently consulting affected staff and it said wherever possible it would offer alternative roles.

Tesco announced its plans to close the stores on Jan. 8 as part of new boss Dave Lewis' plan to fight back from years of market share losses and an accounting scandal.

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In total, 18 Express shops, 12 Metro stores, seven superstores and six Homeplus Tesco stores are shutting their doors.

Plans to expand Tesco’s store portfolio with 49 new developments have also been shelved as part of new chief executive Dave Lewis’ cost-cutting measures. The cuts will deliver savings of £250m per year with a one-off cost of £300m.

Lewis said: "The decision to close the stores has been exceptionally difficult to take...We will continue to serve our customers through other local stores and our dotcom service."