Morrisons makes 'difficult decision' to close 100 stores

The proposed closures, after staff consultations on Thursday, May 21, affect stores that are reportedly loss-making and described by the supermarket chain as "the most challenged" in its retail estate.

A Morrisons spokesman told us: "Expansion of our Convenience business is a core part of Morrisons growth strategy.

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"We currently have around 1,700 Convenience stores, opening more than 120 new franchise stores last year, and we have a robust plan in place for further expansion in 2026.

"We continue to see the opportunity to open hundreds more franchise convenience stores in the years ahead."

The spokesman added that the closures follow a strategic review of shop performance, many of which formed part of the 2022 McColl’s acquisition.

Despite rebranding these stores to Morrisons Daily and making significant investments, the company said remediation efforts failed to turn around those with long-standing financial difficulties.

The spokesman said: "This situation has been exacerbated in more recent years by significant cost increases resulting from Government policy choices, which have made returning these stores to profitability even more difficult.

"Having completed the review, we are now proposing to take the tough but necessary decision to close a number of these stores over the next few months."

Staff in affected locations will now enter a consultation period, and Morrisons said some employees will be at risk of redundancy.

The company said it will offer available roles at other sites where possible, including within its supermarkets, logistics, and manufacturing divisions.

The spokesman said: "We understand this will be difficult news for them and we will be providing these colleagues with all necessary support.

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"This will include finding other opportunities for impacted colleagues elsewhere in the business wherever we can, in our supermarket, logistics, and manufacturing operations, and we have a strong track record of achieving this historically."

Morrisons is keen to stress its ongoing commitment to the convenience sector, citing last year's opening of more than 120 new franchise stores as evidence of continued growth.

The spokesman said: "The combination of the proposed closure of loss making stores and the continued addition of attractive new franchise openings will enable us to concentrate on those stores which work best for customers, improving the quality of our Convenience estate and making it stronger overall."

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