Morrisons Slashes Cafes and Counters in Major Shake-Up
Morrisons CEO Rami Baitieh has defended the supermarket giant’s bold move to shut several cafes and fresh food counters. He called the cuts a “necessary part” of a revamp to zero in on what shoppers really want.
While most cafes will stay open with a “bright future,” a small number are closing due to local challenges where shutdowns were the “only sensible option,” Baitieh confirmed.
Market Street Food Concept Sticks—But Not Everywhere
Baitieh reaffirmed Morrisons’ commitment to its Market Street takeaway model, offering fresh meals like pizza, pies, and rotisserie chicken in select stores. Yet he admitted some parts of this operation are “simply uneconomic.”
To trim fat, some fresh counters and cafes will be swapped out for specialist third-party vendors as Morrisons focuses on profitability.
“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,” said Baitieh. “We will of course take particular care to look after all of them well through the coming changes.”
Thousands of Jobs and Stores Hit Nationwide
Morrisons, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket with around 95,000 staff, is closing multiple cafes, florists, Market Kitchens, and pharmacies across the country.
Cafes Facing the Chop
- Bradford (Thornbury)
- London (Queensbury, Wood Green, Erith, Harrow Hatch End, Stratford, Sidcup Westwood Lane)
- Glasgow (Newlands)
- North East (Newcastle UT Cowgate)
- Various other locations across England, Scotland and Wales
Florists Closing Nationwide
- Aberdeen (King Street)
- Bradford (Enterprise 5)
- Canning Town, London
- Sheffield (Meadowhead)
- Sunderland (Doxford Park)
- And more across the UK
Market Kitchens and Pharmacies Also Axed
- Market Kitchens in Aberdeen, Camden Town, Leeds, Milton Keynes" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Milton Keynes, and more
- Pharmacies closing in Birmingham (Small Heath), London (Wood Green), Blackburn, and Bradford
Morrisons Daily Stores Already Shut
- Gorleston, Norfolk
- Peebles, Scottish Borders
- Shenfield, Essex
- Tonbridge, Kent
- Woking, Surrey
- Bath, Somerset
- Haxby, North Yorkshire (May 14)
- And more locations across the UK
Renewal at a Cost
This sweeping clean-up aims to sharpen Morrisons’ focus on fresh food and top sellers while cutting losses on struggling sites. But it comes with a heavy toll for staff and local communities losing familiar services.
