Sainsbury's has denied its Argos distribution centre in Somerset has already been sold after workers' union Unite accused senior management at the supermarket of preventing its attempts to save hundreds of jobs at the site.
The supermarket, which owns the retail chain, confirmed in April that the depot in Huntsworth business park, Bridgwater, was one site set to shut as part of plans to integrate the logistics networks for the two brands.
At the time, Unite said the move was putting 230 jobs “at risk” and it understood the centre was earmarked for closure in 2022.
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The union previously said it would be exploring all avenues to preserve jobs, including looking at whether the site could be put to an alternative use.
Meanwhile, the supermarket group said it would look to redeploy workers impacted by the announcement elsewhere in its operations.
Unite has now accused Sainsbury's of "erecting a brick wall” in talks to prevent the union developing an alternative business case to the planned closure and has slammed the supermarket for “paying lip service” to the consultation process.
The union said that since entering consultation on the company’s plans it has been repeatedly told additional information it requested was “commercially sensitive” or had been presented in such a way that it was unusable.
But Sainsbury's has denied the allegations, saying it is having "open and constructive" consultation sessions with its staff and the union.
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A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Last year we shared plans to bring the Sainsbury’s and Argos logistics networks together and confirmed a number of our existing depots would close.
“Our Bridgwater depot is one of those sites and we are having open and constructive consultation sessions with colleagues and their union representatives.
“Rumours the site has been sold are incorrect."
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Unite national officer Matt Draper said Sainsbury’s management was guilty of "negotiating in bad faith".
“Unite is committed to looking at all options to save jobs and keep the distribution centre open but in order to construct a viable alternative business case the company needs to supply key information," he said.
“By effectively erecting a brick wall by blocking the information that Unite needs to develop a counter-business case, Sainsbury’s is deliberately preventing meaningful consultation from occurring."