Almost 1,500 jobs are at risk at Tesco as the supermarket ditches night shifts in more than 80 stores and almost 40 petrol stations. The potential job cuts emerged only a day after the UK’s biggest supermarket chain said it would be shutting its Jack’s discount chain, with the potential loss of about 130 jobs, and closing more of its deli and meat counters. Overnight stock replenishment will now be done during the day in 36 large stores and 49 convenience stores. At 36 stores, petrol stations will be converted to be “pay-at-pump only” overnight. Jason Tarry, the chief executive of Tesco’s UK and Irish business, said: “We operate in a highly competitive and fast-paced market and our customers are shopping differently, especially since the start of the pandemic. “We are always looking at how we can run our business as simply and efficiently as possible, so that we can reinvest in the things that matter most to customers. The changes we are announcing today will help us do this.” The job cuts are part of Tesco’s efforts to save £1bn in costs over the next three years as it tries to fend off competition from discounters Aldi and Lidl in a price-sensitive market. As inflation bites, shoppers are monitoring the prices of their goods more closely than ever and Tesco, like rival Sainsbury’s, has responded by matching Aldi prices on key items. Clive Black, an analyst at Shore Capital, said Tesco was “creating the resources to compete”. He said other supermarkets had already cut costs by closing deli counters or reducing store management positions, and there would be more job cuts to come, partly with the help of technology such as self-scanning systems in shops. “Bit by bit the industry is on a journey to be more productive and that means fewer people and more digitisation and automation,” he said. Tesco said it had 3,000 vacancies in the business and aimed to work with each affected member of staff to try to help them find another role. Daniel Adams, a national officer of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said the union was engaging with the supermarket in an effort to protect jobs and secure the best deal for those affected. Adams said: “Tesco has informed us that they are looking to undertake a number of restructures across the business … Clearly, this will be incredibly unsettling for those who may be affected. “We should not forget the role that key workers have played throughout the coronavirus pandemic and to receive this news is devastating. Tesco has almost 3,000 stores in the UK, including 800 large supermarkets, and it is not clear if it will adjust night shifts in further stores in future.