Morrisons, a prominent supermarket chain, is set to shut down approximately 100 stores across the UK, potentially endangering numerous jobs. Employees were informed today about the company’s decision to close its Morrisons Daily outlets, with efforts being made to relocate affected staff to other areas within the business.
The closure of Morrisons Daily shops is scheduled to take place over the next few months, targeting outlets that are unprofitable and facing significant challenges within the company’s portfolio. Despite these closures, Morrisons remains committed to expanding by opening more Morrisons Daily convenience stores, with plans to establish hundreds more in the upcoming years.
All the stores affected by the closure proposal were formerly McColl’s stores, acquired by Morrisons in 2022 after outbidding Asda for the purchase. The growth strategy of Morrisons involves predominantly operating the new Morrisons Daily outlets as franchises rather than directly owned by the supermarket chain.
In a bid to streamline operations, Morrisons announced plans to reduce over 200 head office positions in April, representing about 8% of jobs at its Bradford headquarters. Recent restructuring within the company saw convenience stores falling under Morrisons’ retail division, overseen by Group Retail Director Martin Dawson following the departure of Matt Heslop, the group’s wholesale and convenience director.
Morrisons has been actively enhancing its online services and has introduced a new fleet of delivery vans as part of its Morrisons Online expansion plans. Additionally, the company confirmed a pay increase for its staff effective July 20, following negotiations with the union, USDAW.
A Morrisons spokesperson stated that since the acquisition of the McColl’s stores in 2022, significant efforts have been made to rebrand and revamp the business as Morrisons Daily. The decision to close underperforming stores is a result of continuous performance evaluations and the challenging economic environment, with affected colleagues being offered support and potential opportunities within other areas of the business.