Tesco bosses have pulled the plug on its non-food online shopping service Tesco Direct - putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
The retailer said the website was a "small, loss-making part of the business" and had "no route to profitability".
It is understood around 500 jobs are at risk following the closure which has recently been announced. The closure comes into affect on July 9.
Charles Wilson, CEO of Tesco UK & ROI, said: "We want to offer our customers the ability to buy groceries and non-food products in one place and that's why we are refocusing our investment into one online platform.
"This decision has been a very difficult one to make, but it is an essential step towards establishing a more sustainable non-food offer and growing our business for the future.
Our friends at the Cambridge News have compiled everything you need to know about the closure and what this means moving forward.
What is Tesco Direct?
Tesco runs two separate sites for online orders, Tesco.com is for all grocery related orders, and Tesco Direct, which deals with all non grocery related goods, including school uniforms, and its F&F clothing range.
Will anything from Tesco Direct be moved to Tesco’s main site?
Yes, but not everything as we understand it.
Tesco has said that its school uniform embroidery service will move from Tesco Direct to Tesco.com.
F&F goods will cease to be available online after July 9, however will still be available in store.
Tesco’s main website also has more than 2,000 non food or drink related items on its store that will still be available to purchase after July 9, and the company hopes to expand this range further.
Can I still order stuff from Tesco Direct?
Yes, up until July 9 you will be able to make orders from the website, however, the sooner you make these orders the better.
Tesco has already ceased next day delivery for all orders made from the website, with the same applying to click+collect order points in stores which have been switched off.
The supermarket has also ceased stocking goods for Tesco Direct, so this will only be the case while stocks last?
I pre-ordered something with Tesco Direct, will I still get it?
Tesco has confirmed it will honour all pre-orders for goods released before July 9 and will be delivered as scheduled.
However, if the release date of the game/DVD/book is after July 9 then Tesco will cancel this order.
The company says it will refund all pre orders directly to a user’s Tesco account, and will have notified the customer by email.
Tesco advises to keep your contact details up to date with them so you will be able to secure your refund.
Can I still use my gift card/vouchers?
Yes, you will still be able to use all Tesco Direct gift cards and vouchers after the website closes in Tesco stores or on Tesco.com.
Can I still return Tesco Direct Items after July 9?
Yes although the process might be a little different.
If you change your mind after receiving an order, Tesco will still offer its refunds and returns policy up until 30 days after the product has been purchased.
Providing you have proof of purchase (which gets sent out to you anyway) you will still be able to claim a refund.
If a product is broken or faulty, you will still be able to get a refund. However, Tesco has said it will not be offering a repair or replacement product as before.
This is something to bear in mind if you start seeing goods going for clearance prices, as you will only be refunded the clearance price for the product purchased.
