Morrisons opens first convenience store with pledge to undercut rivals
Morrisons has opened the first of its M-local convenience stores with the promise to undercut rivals in the sector.
The 3,000 sq ft Ilkley store is the first of a three store trial to evaluate and refine Morrisons convenience offer. A further two M-locals will be opened by the end of the year.
The supermarket said it intends to make fresh food “front and centre” of its convenience offer with a minimum of 100 lines of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as strong presence for fresh meat, fish and bakery. With food prepared little and often to enable it to be moved quickly from preparation to sale, Morrisons said it would ensure freshness “all day long”.
The stores will carry no price premium on fresh products with M-local fresh products being 4-11% cheaper than other convenience stores. This is in contrast to many of the supermarket’s rivals who charge more at their convenience shops for certain products than they do at larger stores.
Dalton Philips, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said: “Convenience is one of the fastest growing sectors of the market and developing our offer in this channel is a key part of our growth strategy. We believe that convenient food doesn’t have to mean dull food. The M-local offer will be different: a greater emphasis on fresh food and, critically, the same competitive prices for fresh food in M-local as in Morrisons will really set us apart from the competition. I’m confident that customers will find the M-local offer compelling and different and I look forward to hearing their feedback. “
