Morrisons puts over 350 jobs at risk as it shuts stores and cafés
Morrisons has put 365 staff at risk of redundancy as part of a cost-cutting drive that will see the closure of some specialised in-store departments.
The supermarket announced the changes today (24 March). They are intended to help mitigate recent cost increases, as the company enters the second year of its renewal programme.
Proposed changes over the next few months include the closure of 52 Cafés, all 18 Market Kitchens, 17 convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters and four pharmacies.
Morrisons chief executive Rami Baitiéh described the changes as “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”.
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Morrisons said that while 365 roles will be at risk of redundancy, the significant majority of colleagues affected by the changes are expected to be deployed in suitable roles elsewhere in the company.
The cuts come just months after the Morrisons CEO called on the government to space out the “avalanche of costs” set to hit businesses next month, following the October Budget.
Speaking of the changes, Baitiéh said: “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.”
He said that in some stores where the grocery retailer is closing counters or Cafés, it plans 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,” Baitiéh added.
