Morrisons to shut 52 cafes and 17 stores as part of HUGE shake-up – with in store services also axed

MORRISONS is set to shut 52 cafes and 17 stores as part of a huge overhaul.

One of the UK's biggest supermarkets will also axe a number of in-store services due to cost pressures.

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The retailer said 18 Market Kitchens, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters and four pharmacies will shut.

The shake-up, which will be rolled out over the coming months, puts around 365 workers at risk of redundancy.

The 17 stores that will close are smaller Morrisons Daily branches.

Rami Baitiéh, chief executive of Morrisons, said the plans announced today would "reinvigorate" the supermarket and allow it to invest into other areas of the business.

He added: "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."

This is the full list of cafes that will close:

• Bradford Thornbury
• Paisley Falside Rd
• London Queensbury
• Portsmouth Great Park
• Banchory North Deeside Rd
• Failsworth Poplar Street
• Blackburn Railway Road
• Leeds Swinnow Rd
• London Wood Green
• Kirkham Poulton St
• Lutterworth Bitteswell Rd
• Stirchley
• Leeds Horsforth
• London Erith
• Crowborough
• Bellshill John St
• Dumbarton Glasgow Rd
• East Kilbride Lindsayfield
• East Kilbride Stewartfield
• Glasgow Newlands
• Largs Irvine Rd
• Troon Academy St
• Wishaw Kirk Rd
• Newcastle UT Cowgate
• Northampton Kettering Road
• Bromsgrove Buntsford Ind Pk
• Solihull Warwick Rd
• Brecon Free St
• Caernarfon North Rd
• Hadleigh
• London - Harrow - Hatch End
• High Wycombe Temple End
• Leighton Buzzard Lake St
• London Stratford
• Sidcup Westwood Lane
• Welwyn Garden City Black Fan Rd
• Warminster Weymouth St
• Oxted Station Yard
• Reigate Bell St
• Borehamwood
• Weybridge - Monument Hill
• Bathgate
• Erskine Bridgewater SC
• Gorleston Blackwell Road
• Connah's Quay
• Mansfield Woodhouse
• Elland
• Gloucester - Metz Way
• Watford - Ascot Road
• Littlehampton - Wick
• Helensburgh

This is the full list of Morrisons Daily convenience stores that will close:

• Gorleston Lowestoft Road
• Peebles 3-5 Old Town
• Shenfield 214 Hutton Road
• Poole Waterloo Estate
• Tonbridge Higham Lane Est
• Romsey The Cornmarket
• Stewarton Lainshaw Street
• Selsdon Featherbed Lane
• Haxby Village
• Great Barr Queslett R
• Whickham Oakfield Road
• Worle
• Goring-By-Sea Strand Para
• Woking Westfield Road
• Wokingham 40 Peach Street
• Exeter 51 Sidwell Street
• Bath Moorland Road

The announcement from Morrisons comes just months after Mr Baitiéh blasted the upcoming hikes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and national minimum wage.

From next month, businesses will pay a higher rate of NICs of 15%, from 13.8%.

It is understood the upcoming hikes will add around £75million to Morrisons's costs.

Mr Baitiéh said: “The National Insurance change adds insult to injury.

"The problem is that it’s an avalanche of costs that is coming all at once."

The warning came despite Morrisons showing its first increase in market share in three years at the start of 2025.

Under Mr Baitiéh, the supermarket has sold off its petrol stations and cut costs by £200million to lower its debt pile.

The boss also said he would close two food factories and pulled out of a loss-making Ocado warehouse.

OTHER SUPERMARKETS AXING SERVICES

The announcement today from Morrisons comes after rival Sainsbury's said in January it would axe 61 in-store cafes this year.

The retailer also said it would close its remaining patisserie, bakery, rotisserie and pizza counters at bigger branches.

The most popular items currently being sold from patisserie and pizza counters will be moved to shelves elsewhere in stores.

It means shoppers will still be able to get hold of bakery items like Hovis bread and Mr Kipling cakes, while self-service bread slicing machines will be introduced.

Chickens usually sold at the rotisserie counters will be shifted to hot cabinets next to sandwich fridges.

Meanwhile, a Sainsbury’s insider said the freed-up counter spaces will be replaced with areas selling gluten-free and dairy-free products.

Tesco also ditched delis and hot food counters in 2023.

The move came after the retailer said it had seen a big drop in demand for the use of its counters in the preceding years.

Tesco said all staff working across the sections would be offered new roles in the business.

The move to close the underused counters started in 2019, when Tesco also said it would axe 9,000 jobs.

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