Morrisons to close 52 cafés and 17 convenience stores
Morrisons has announced that it will be shutting 52 cafés and 17 convenience stores as it enters the second year of its renewal programme.
The supermarket is also closing 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters, four pharmacies and all 18 of its market kitchens.
Morrisons said the move will help the business to accelerate growth, optimise operations and mitigate significant cost increases.
Prior to the decision, Morrisons carried out a review where it identified a number of areas where the costs of operations were “significantly out of line with usage, volumes or the value that customers place on them”.
Never Miss a Retail Update!Around 365 colleagues are now at risk of redundancy, although the majority of affected staff are expected to be deployed elsewhere with the business.
Rami Baitiéh, chief executive of Morrisons, said: “The changes we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.
“Morrisons Cafés are rightly famous for their great quality well-priced food, their place in the local community and their appealing mix of traditional favourites alongside exciting new dishes. In most locations the Morrisons Café has a bright future, but a minority have specific local challenges and in those locations, regrettably, closure and re-allocation of the space is the only sensible option.”
He added: “Market Street is a beacon of differentiation for Morrisons and we remain committed to it. But as we modernise we are making some necessary changes to the areas of the model which are simply uneconomic. In some stores where we are closing counters or Cafés, we plan to work with third parties to provide a relevant specialist offer.”
