Supermarket chain Morrisons reveals a significant overhaul of its convenience and general merchandise divisions, placing over 100 head office positions at risk of redundancy.
Convenience Division Integration
The restructuring targets teams linked to the Morrisons Daily convenience business. Morrisons plans to merge its convenience operations with broader supermarket trading functions. Convenience buying and commercial teams will integrate into a unified central trading structure, effectively dissolving the independent convenience buying unit to streamline processes.
Convenience stores now align under the retail division, headed by group retail director Martin Dawson. Buying and commercial duties shift to a central team led by group trading director Andrew Staniland.
A Morrisons spokesperson explains the changes aim to enhance multichannel shopping. “To enable us to deliver a truly multichannel shopping experience for Morrisons customers, we are proposing to integrate the operation of our supermarkets and company-owned convenience stores and support office functions into a single team structure,” the spokesperson states. “The plans will allow us to leverage the existing skills and expertise we have in the business, remove duplication, simplify our store operations and capture efficiencies.”
Morrisons confirms more than 100 roles face redundancy risk, primarily in the convenience sector. “We understand this will be difficult news for colleagues affected and will be offering them our full support, including helping them to find alternative roles elsewhere in the business wherever we can,” the spokesperson adds.
This follows the February exit of former group convenience and wholesale director Matt Heslop, who joined less than a year prior.
General Merchandise Relocation
Morrisons also plans to move general merchandise support functions from its Bradford headquarters at Hilmore House to a new Warrington office. The relocation positions the division nearer to key northwest suppliers. Upon the site’s opening later this year, all Bradford-based general merchandise operations will cease.
Part of Wider Turnaround Plan
These moves support CEO Rami Baitieh’s turnaround efforts, balancing cost reductions with convenience retail growth. Morrisons targets opening up to 300 new Morrisons Daily stores annually through company-owned and franchise models. The chain currently runs about 1,820 such stores, with roughly half under franchise ownership.
