British supermarket chain Morrisons plans to close 52 cafes and 17 convenience stores, a move that will put hundreds of jobs at risk. At the same time, the company will also close some in-store services, including some meat and fish counters, pharmacies, and all Market Kitchens, aiming to reallocate funds to other areas of the business.
Read Also...:
Rachel Reeves confirms 15% cut to Civil Service running costs
03-25, 2025
Snow White: Live-action remake of Disney classic tops box office despite bad reviews
03-25, 2025
Donald Trump threatens US tariffs on countries buying Venezuelan oil
03-25, 2025
Pizza Hut workers accuse franchisee of docking wages
03-25, 2025These reduction measures are expected to be implemented gradually over the next few months. Morrisons faces tremendous pressure from the growing presence of discount retailers, with Aldi having surpassed Morrisons in 2022 to become the UK's fourth-largest supermarket chain.
Morrisons stated that most employees affected by the adjustments are expected to be redeployed, but approximately 365 employees are at risk of redundancy. The convenience stores being closed are all Morrisons Daily convenience stores, which have longer opening hours. Other closures include 52 cafes, 13 flower shops, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters, 4 pharmacies, and all 18 Market Kitchens, which are small food courts offering freshly prepared takeaway meals.
Morrisons Chief Executive Rami Baitiéh said that in some stores, the supermarket plans to partner with third parties "to offer relevant specialist services." He added: "The adjustments we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plan to update and reinvigorate Morrisons, enabling us to focus our investment where it matters most to customers and where we have the greatest opportunity to drive growth."
Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that Morrisons must make adjustments to compete in a price-sensitive market. "The supermarket chain is closing services deemed to be nice-to-haves rather than essentials and scaling back its convenience store footprint as it braces itself for another round of cost-cutting competition. Discount retailers Aldi and Lidl have already proven their strong competitiveness. Morrisons clearly wants to free up funds to focus on value as much as possible, with an intense period of competition expected."
