Supermarket chain Morrisons will close more than 50 of its in-store cafes and a number of Morrisons Daily convenience stores across the UK, as part of a restructuring programme that will see over 3,600 jobs lost in the latest blow to the British high street.
The move comes as the retailer reports a return to profit for the first time since its 2021 private equity takeover, posting £2.1 billion pre-tax profit for the year ending October 27, 2024, compared to losses of £919 million the year before and £1.3 billion the year prior to that. A large part of that profit, £2.6 billion, was generated from the sale of its petrol forecourts to Motor Fuel Group.
While the forecourt sale accounted for much of the profit rebound, Morrisons’ underlying performance also improved, with losses in continuing operations halving to £538 million from £1.09 billion.
The chain recorded a 3.9% rise in like-for-like sales and a 4.2% increase in total sales to £3.9 billion in the second quarter of its current financial year.
However, newly filed accounts at Companies House reveal the company has reduced its workforce from 104,819 to 101,144, with store staff, manufacturing, distribution, and head office roles all affected.
Chief Executive Rami Baitiéh said the focus remained on providing value to customers during a challenging economic climate marked by inflation and subdued consumer spending.
Earlier this year, Morrisons confirmed it would shut 17 Morrisons Daily stores, with the final outlet in Haxby, North Yorkshire, closing on 14 May. It has also now confirmed the closure of more than 50 in-store cafés.
The closures are part of wider cost-cutting measures seen across the supermarket sector. Aldi, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s have all announced job losses in recent months, with Sainsbury’s also shutting all of its in-store cafés.