Morrisons operates around 1,700 convenience shops alongside roughly 500 supermarkets and employs some 95,000 staff across the country. The closure of up to 100 of its Daily branches, many inherited through a 2022 takeover, sits alongside a separate announcement that the retailer intends to grow its franchise estate by 300 stores, a move that has drawn attention because it comes so soon after the closures began.
The first two shutdowns have already taken place, in Woodley, Berkshire, and Stokesley, North Yorkshire, with knock-on effects for Post Office services that had operated from the same premises for decades in some cases. According to the reports, at least 52 Post Office branches are affected by the closures, spread across England, Wales and Scotland, with a concentration in southern England.
Closures Begin With Former McColl’s Branches
Morrisons’ first closure under the programme was its Morrisons Daily branch on Crockhamwell Road in Woodley, which had only converted to the Morrisons Daily format in November 2024 before shutting last week. Its attached Post Office also closed, ending around 60 years of postal service on that road, and is understood to be seeking a nearby retailer to host a replacement branch.
A second store, on Stokesley High Street in North Yorkshire, closed on 18 July. That branch had traded as a McColl’s for decades before being converted following Morrisons’ acquisition of the convenience chain.
Both affected stores were part of the £190 million rescue deal for McColl’s completed in 2022, and Morrisons said their performance had remained challenged for years despite remedial action. A Morrisons spokesman said the situation had been worsened by cost increases resulting from government policy choices, without specifying which policies were meant, though the wider retail sector has faced pressure from rising minimum wages and last year’s national insurance rate rise. Oxfordshire will not see any of its shops, cafes, florists or pharmacies close this year, the company confirmed.
New Managing Director to Lead Franchise Expansion
Alongside the closures, Morrisons has outlined plans to open 300 franchise convenience stores, appointing Maz Ahmed as its new managing director for convenience and wholesale to oversee the expansion. Chief executive Rami Baitiéh said Ahmed had demonstrated strong leadership skills in previous roles and was already bringing new focus to the management of the convenience operations, as reported by the Express.
Victoria Lockie, head of wholesale, strategic projects and acquisitions, said the recruitment strategy was about quality rather than quantity, with the company aiming to target retailers who can showcase its own-brand range, particularly in fresh food-to-go categories. She added that potential sites needed the right store space and location to deliver what she called an outstanding, consistent proposition.
Morrisons has described the closures as part of an effort to strengthen its convenience estate overall, while the franchise expansion represents a longer-term push announced separately, following plans first outlined in May.
