MORRISONS DAILY: Supermarket giant announces 100 convenience store closures blaming government costs — we’ve identified the south-west Wales stores that could be affected

Five convenience stores in south-west Wales could be among 100 Morrisons Daily outlets set to close across the UK — with hundreds of jobs at risk nationally and communities in Trimsaran, Pontardawe, Neyland, Pembroke and Tenby potentially facing the loss of their local shop.

Morrisons confirmed the planned closures on Friday, saying the affected stores had been loss-making for years despite attempts to turn them around — and that rising costs driven by government policy had made the situation worse.

Morrisons has not confirmed which specific stores are proposed for closure. However, using Morrisons’ own store finder, Swansea Bay News has identified five wholly-owned Morrisons Daily stores in south-west Wales — meaning they are in the pool of around 1,000 company-owned stores from which the 100 closures will be drawn:

Morrisons Daily, Heol Morlais, Trimsaran

Morrisons Daily, Herbert Street, Pontardawe

Morrisons Daily, High Street, Neyland

Morrisons Daily, Upper Lamphey Road, Pembroke

Morrisons Daily, New Hedges, Tenby

With around 1,000 wholly-owned stores nationally and 100 proposed for closure, the vast majority will remain open. Other Morrisons Daily stores in south-west Wales run by franchisees are not affected by the announcement.

All five of the local wholly-owned stores were originally part of Morrisons’ £190 million rescue purchase of the McColl’s convenience chain from administration in 2022, and subsequently rebranded as Morrisons Daily.

The 100 proposed closures represent around one in ten of Morrisons’ wholly-owned convenience estate — a significant reduction in the company’s directly operated network, even as it pursues aggressive franchise growth.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “The performance of all company owned stores across our Convenience business is subject to continuous review. This process has identified a number of stores, which were part of the McColl’s acquisition, whose performance has been challenged for a number of years and which are loss making, despite remedial action.”

The policy choices Morrisons cited include increases to employer National Insurance contributions and rises to the national living wage — both of which came into force in April and have been blamed by retailers across the UK for pushing up operating costs.

Staff at the affected stores have been told they are at risk of redundancy, with a consultation set to begin shortly. Morrisons said it would try to find alternative roles for impacted workers elsewhere in the business — in supermarket, logistics and manufacturing operations.

The store closures are just the latest in a string of asset disposals and cutbacks. In 2024, Morrisons sold all 337 of its petrol stations to Motor Fuel Group in a £2.5 billion deal — a move specifically designed to reduce the debt pile built up since the chain’s £10 billion takeover by private equity firm Clayton Dubilier and Rice. The same firm owns both Morrisons and MFG.

Despite reducing its net debt by 46% from a 2022 peak to £3.2 billion, the chain still recorded annual losses of £318 million in the year to October.

The news also comes after Morrisons announced the closure of 52 cafés and 17 convenience stores last year, and just weeks after revealing that around 200 jobs were at risk at its Bradford headquarters.

Despite the closures, Morrisons insisted its convenience business remained a growth priority. It currently runs around 1,700 Morrisons Daily stores — including roughly 700 franchise locations — and opened more than 120 new franchise stores last year.

The company said it planned to open hundreds more franchise outlets in the coming years, with the vast majority of future openings set to be franchise-operated rather than company-owned.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Morrisons to sell all 337 petrol stations in deal worth £2.5bn
Morrisons sold its entire forecourt estate to Motor Fuel Group as it looked to reduce debt from its private equity takeover.

BBC News | Morrisons planning to close 100 stores in next few months

AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.

Morrisons announced it will close around 100 under‑performing convenience stores over the coming months, citing prolonged losses on sites acquired through its 2022 McColl’s takeover and “significant cost increases resulting from government policy choices.” The retailer said the closures, part of a broader restructuring that already saw 52 cafés and 17 convenience stores shut last year, could put additional staff at risk of redundancy, with consultations to follow. While it did not disclose exact job numbers, Morrisons highlighted a “robust expansion plan” for 2026 that includes opening hundreds of new franchise stores, even as the sector grapples with higher employer National Insurance contributions, rising minimum wages, and new recycling fees that have heightened overall cost pressures.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3623ny298xo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

#Morrisons #McColls #UKgovernment #ERP #Bradford #JustinKing

Cathcart Cemetery in Glasgow. A wonderfully atmospheric space with many notable burials, including Margaret Jefferson, Stan Laurel's mother, Hugh MacColl, the first captain of the mighty Sevilla Football Club and Robert S. McColl, the Scottish international footballer and co-founder of the McColl's chain of local shops.

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