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.

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TGJONES: Bailiff threat and tax debts cast fresh doubt over south-west Wales stores as WH Smith refuses to fund redundancy payments

The seven TGJones stores at risk across south-west Wales face fresh uncertainty after new details emerged about the dire financial state of the chain — including millions of pounds in unpaid taxes and a looming threat of bailiff action.

Seven branches in the region — including the Swansea Quadrant, Neath, Llanelli, Carmarthen, Bridgend, Tenby and Haverfordwest — were put at risk last week when owner Modella Capital announced plans to close up to 150 stores nationally as part of a major restructuring.

Now documents circulated to creditors have revealed that TGJones owes £8.4 million to HMRC, with a six-month payment agreement struck in April — and a further £3.4 million in business rates arrears. The Telegraph has reported that bailiffs are now a real threat if those payments are not maintained.

The revelations paint a stark picture of a business that has deteriorated rapidly since WH Smith sold its 480 high street stores to Modella Capital in March 2025 and rebranded them as TGJones.

The sale was originally valued at £76 million, but this was renegotiated sharply downward to £42 million to reflect what was described at the time as a “sharp deterioration in trading conditions.” In reality, WH Smith received just £10 million upfront, with the remaining £32 million contingent on the business’s future cash flows — money that now looks unlikely ever to materialise.

Modella has since approached WH Smith to ask whether it would fund enhanced redundancy payments for staff likely to lose their jobs if stores close. WH Smith had previously offered staff a more generous redundancy scheme than the statutory minimum. It declined to provide any further support.

The development is significant for workers at the seven south-west Wales branches, who now face the prospect of statutory redundancy only if their stores are among those confirmed for closure.

The restructuring Modella is planning is known as a “cram-down” — a relatively novel legal mechanism that requires the consent of only one class of creditors to proceed, rather than a majority. It will require approval from a High Court judge, with a hearing expected in late June.

Landlords are likely to face demands for severe reductions in rent as part of the plan. Those who refuse could simply take back the keys to their stores.

If the restructuring is approved, Modella has promised to invest £35 million in a turnaround plan it claims would return TGJones to profitability, with what it describes as a “considerable investment” in the stores that survive.

The creditor documents also reveal the existence of a mystery private individual — described as not being linked to Modella — who is owed £8 million by TGJones. No further details have been disclosed.

The crisis comes as Modella’s track record with other retail brands comes under scrutiny. Both The Original Factory Shop and Claire’s Accessories — two other chains acquired by the firm — have been placed into administration in recent months. Modella blamed the worsening conditions on the British high street and tax rises enacted by the Government.

An insolvency specialist quoted in earlier reporting warned that the pipeline of retail closures was “far from over,” pointing to the collapse in discretionary spending, stubbornly low high street footfall outside major city centres, and the impact of rising National Living Wage costs and higher employer National Insurance contributions.

Post Office has previously said it will update communities if any of its services — hosted within TGJones stores — are forced to relocate as a result of the closures.

The High Court hearing in late June is now the key date for anyone with an interest in the future of the south-west Wales stores — and for the staff who work in them.

Our TGJones coverage

Seven south-west Wales stores at risk as chain announces 150 closures
The full list of at-risk branches across the region.

Post Office promises to update communities if any branches are forced to relocate
What the closures could mean for Post Office services hosted within TGJones stores.

WH Smith sells high street stores — which will be renamed TGJones
How the chain ended up in Modella Capital’s hands in the first place.

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