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26
May
Morrisons issues statement on local sites ahead of convenience store closures
Morrisons’ convenience stores in the Harrogate district won’t be affected by its string of upcoming closures, the supermarket giant has confirmed.
Morrisons last week revealed it plans to shut a number of lossmaking convenience stores, which it attributed in part to Labour’s increase in National Insurance and national living wage.
In a statement, the supermarket said the stores set to close were those that have struggled to perform since the company acquired them from McColl’s in 2022.
According to national media reports, around 100 Morrisons Daily stores will close under the move, but a confirmed list of impacted sites hasn’t been released yet.
The Stray Ferret contacted Morrisons to ask if any of our local stores – King Edward’s Drive and Royal Parade in Harrogate, and Bondgate in Ripon – would be closing.
In a brief statement, a Morrisons spokesperson told us:
I can confirm Harrogate and Ripon are not affected.
The planned closures come after the supermarket chain last year said it was to shut 17 of its convenience stores and 52 of its cafés, and last month revealed around 200 jobs were at risk at its Bradford headquarters.
A Morrisons spokesperson said the forthcoming closures mean even more employees are now at risk of redundancy, but the supermarket hopes to find those affected jobs elsewhere in the company.
Despite the news, Morrisons has pledged further expansion this year and hopes to open even more convenience stores in the coming years:
Expansion of our convenience business is a core part of Morrisons growth strategy. We currently have around 1,700 convenience stores, opening more than 120 new franchise stores last year, and we have a robust plan in place for further expansion in 2026. We continue to see the opportunity to open hundreds more franchise convenience stores in the years ahead.
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