BRAINTREE’S Morrisons supermarket is set to close with the loss of up to 100 jobs.

The Rayne Road supermarket is one of seven unprofitable stores nationwide which the supermarket giant is proposing to shut.

Shocked staff were told the news on Tuesday morning, despite the company posting a Christmas sales increase which led to a 12 per cent share hike.

A Morrisons spokesman said: “We have looked at how we can improve the Braintree store’s long-term viability.

“Unfortunately, we have not found a way to turn this store around and are therefore proposing its closure.

“We are consulting with colleagues and unions and we will be discussing how to reduce redundancies and redeploy colleagues around our business.”

One member of staff, who asked not be named, said: “We were told in the morning.

"I thought something like this might happen in about five years’ time but not now.

“I will probably try and go to work on another site if it’s offered, but I actually moved to Braintree to work here.”

Another staff member said: “They have said this is a proposal and we will know more by the end of March, but it doesn’t look good.”

Morrisons opened in October 2011, on a site previously occupied by Somerfield and the Co-Op.

It created 68 new jobs in the town, in addition to the 32 workers who stayed on from Somerfield.

Town Team chairman Liz Storey said: “It’s a bit of a disappointment because it’s one of the gateways into the town and to have that closed up will be horrible.

“It’s also a horrible time for the staff. It’s going to have a big impact on the community.”

In 2013, Braintree Council denied permission for Sainsbury’s to build a new store on the Broomfields Industrial Estate because it could take business away from Morrisons.

As the smallest supermarket in Braintree at 1,349 sq m, planners felt it would have been dwarfed by Sainsbury’s proposed 4,765 sq m megastore.

James Developments, which owns the building, has previously held discussions with the council about demolishing the store and George Yard car park to build a new shopping centre.

A Morrisons spokesman said a planned expansion of its store in Braintree Road, Witham, was not affected by the closures.