Morrisons is set to close a popular convenience store as the supermarket giant moves forward with plans to shut around 100 locations across the UK. The latest branch facing closure is a Morrisons Daily store in Crown Wood, Bracknell, which has been praised by shoppers for its customer service and friendly staff. The store also houses a Post Office, which will be affected by the closure.
Wider Programme of Closures
The closure forms part of a wider programme announced by Morrisons after a review of its convenience store estate. The retailer said a number of Morrisons Daily sites acquired through its takeover of McColl’s had remained loss-making despite efforts to improve performance. It announced last month that the "most challenged" locations would be closed.
Customer Praise and Post Office Impact
Customers had previously praised the “fantastic” branch, in particular its “excellent customer service” and “friendly staff”. The Post Office confirmed it is seeking applications from nearby retailers interested in hosting a replacement branch in the area. A Post Office spokesperson told The Sun: “We have been informed by Morrisons that following a review they are to take the difficult decision to close the Morrisons Daily store where Crown Wood Post Office is located. We fully recognise the inconvenience this will cause our customers who rely on our banking and parcel services in particular.”
Morrisons Statement
A spokesperson for Morrisons said: “The performance of all company-owned stores across our convenience business is subject to continuous review. Having completed the review, we are now proposing to take the tough but necessary decision to close a number of these stores over the next few months. 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.”
Staff Redundancies
The retailer has said that the proposal means that “store colleagues will now be at risk of redundancy” but they will be providing support to those affected. This includes plans to find “other opportunities for impacted colleagues elsewhere in the business wherever we can”.
All of the closing stores were former McColl’s stores, which were converted to Morrisons Daily locations after the supermarket giant bought them in 2022. Morrisons is currently the fifth-largest supermarket chain in the UK and, as of 2021, had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar.
