Morrisons is preparing to close approximately 100 underperforming convenience outlets throughout Britain.
The retailer has cited escalating expenses that have been compounded by decisions made by national government.
These particular branches have generated losses for several years and were originally part of the McColl’s network before the company took them over in 2022, according to the business.
The closures would occur over the coming months, with potentially hundreds of retail employees facing losing their positions.
A Morrisons spokesperson explained that the company continuously evaluates the performance of all its owned stores within the convenience sector. This assessment has highlighted several branches acquired through the McColl’s deal that have struggled commercially for several years and continue to operate at a loss despite efforts to improve their performance. Recent years have seen this situation worsen considerably due to substantial cost rises stemming from government policy decisions, making it considerably harder to restore these outlets to profitability. Following the conclusion of this review, the company now intends to proceed with the difficult but essential step of closing several of these branches in the coming months.
The specific government policy measures were not disclosed, though the announcement arrives amid a period when numerous retailers have encountered mounting business expenses, including increased minimum wage requirements and last year’s elevation of national insurance contributions.
The company operates roughly 1,700 convenience outlets alongside approximately 500 larger supermarket locations, with a workforce totalling around 95,000 people.
Despite these closure plans, Morrisons indicated it continues to identify prospects for launching hundreds of additional franchised convenience stores in future years. The company maintained that both the planned closures and the expansion of new outlets would result in an upgraded and more robust convenience portfolio overall.
Last month, the company informed employees it was beginning a consultation process regarding workforce reductions at its administrative headquarters in Bradford, affecting fewer than 10 percent of personnel at that location.
The retailer has additionally recently discontinued operations at certain cafes, convenience stores, flower shops and fresh produce counters as part of a restructuring initiative that resulted in the loss of several hundred positions.
The following Oxfordshire convenience stores could potentially be affected:
Balflour Road, Blackbird Leys, Oxford
Elms Parade, Botley, Oxford
Peachcroft shopping centre, Abingdon
Burford Road, Carterton
Market Place, Faringdon
Curie Avenue, Harwell
High Street, Thame
Market Square, Bicester
Villiers Road, Bicester
Bar Street, Banbury