Job losses expected as Lancashire Morrisons sites impacted by closure of stores, cafés and counters

Morrisons has announced plans to axe some of its cafes, convenience stores, florists, and fresh food counters, with around 365 employees at risk of redundancy. The supermarket giant said the cost of operating these services was out of line with the revenue generated from them.

Morrisons said a “significant” number of impacted staff are expected to be redeployed to other roles within the company however, around 365 employees are still at risk of redundancy. Rami Baitieh, Morrisons’ chief executive, said the changes were a “necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate” the chain and invest in areas that “customers really value”.

The closures will affect 52 cafes, all 18 Market Kitchens, 17 Morrisons Daily convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters, and four pharmacies. Among the affected stores are two in Lancashire.

- Full list of closures including cafes can be found here.

Morrisons cafés in Blackburn on Railway Road and in Kirkham on Poulton Street are both earmarked for closure, while the Morrisons Pharmacy on Railway Road in Blackburn is also set to be affected.

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Rami Baitiéh, chief executive of Morrisons, said: "The changes we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.

"Morrisons Cafés are rightly famous for their great quality well-priced food, their place in the local community and their appealing mix of traditional favourites alongside exciting new dishes. In most locations the Morrisons Café has a bright future, but a minority have specific local challenges and in those locations, regrettably, closure and re-allocation of the space is the only sensible option.

"Market Street is a beacon of differentiation for Morrisons and we remain committed to it. But as we modernise we are making some necessary changes to the areas of the model which are simply uneconomic. In some stores where we are closing counters or cafés, we plan to work with third parties to provide a relevant specialist offer."

"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. We will of course take particular care to look after all of them well through the coming changes."