Morrisons puts hundreds of jobs at risk as part of strategic review

The retailer said that a “wide-ranging review” of its business means that it is proposing to close 52 in-store cafes, all 18 Market Kitchens, 17 of its convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat and fish counters, and four pharmacies across the UK.

Morrisons said the closures were the result of findings from the second year of its “programme of renewal”, which aims to “accelerate growth, optimise operations and help mitigate recent significant cost increases”.

The grocery giant said that 365 jobs were at risk because of the announcement, although Morrisons said “the significant majority of colleagues affected by these changes are expected to be deployed in suitable roles elsewhere” in 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.

“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.”

“Although these changes are relatively small in the context of the overall scale of the Morrisons business, we do not take lightly the disruption and uncertainty they will cause to some of our colleagues. We will of course take particular care to look after all of them well through the coming changes.”