Morrisons is making changes to its butcher counters, by offering pre-packaged meat as part of a strategy to reinvigorate its Market Street section.

The new will involve butchers cutting meat into pre-packaged sizes for display in the morning and offers customers the choice of selecting what they prefer, according to a report by The Grocer. It also reduces the time spent by butchers on cutting meat on request.

Morrisons aims to implement the new format in 100 stores by the end of 2025, with 60 stores already pre-packing meat.

A Morrison’s spokesperson commented: “We are moving at pace with the modernisation of Market Street as part of our Morrisons Magic programme, and following successful trials, we’ve begun to roll out flatbeds in our butchery departments.

“These showcase the same range, with the freshness and quality that Market Street is renowned for but with a more modern and contemporary look.  They offer both the convenience of self service for customers that prefer it and the traditional individual service from an in-store butcher.”

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The new move is part of a broader renovation strategy across stores as the supermarket chain aims to offer premium farm shop-style fresh food to its customers.

In March, the retailer announced that it would be streamlining its operations to deal with the mounting pressure of rising costs, as it increased its overall saving goals. The retailer closed down 35 meat counters and 35 fish counters.

Rami Baitiéh, Morrisons’ chief executive, said at the time: “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.”

However, the turnaround strategy was successful as the retailer reported a strong performance in Q2 2025, with total sales for the 13 weeks to 27 April 2025 going up by 4.2% to £3.9bn.

Morrisons has been contacted for a comment.