Morrisons closes first 2 Daily convenience stores as 100 earmarked for axe – list of 52

Morrisons has started its 100-store closure programme with hundreds of jobs at risk

Supermarket giant Morrisons has confirmed the first store in a huge closure program has taken place – and confirmed the next 7 to go. The chain has begun its 100-store Morrisons Daily closure programme after shutting its first branch in Woodley, Berkshire.

The shops set for closure have been unprofitable for years and were former McColl’s shops which the chain rescued in 2022, it said. The proposals will see stores closed in the next few months and hundreds of shop workers are understood to be at risk of redundancy.

The Crockhamwell Rd store closed last week, less than two years after it opened. Its Post Office also shut after mail services had operated from the road for around 60 years, Retail Gazette reported. The Post Office was seeking a nearby retailer to host a replacement branch.

Morrisons closed another Daily store on Stokesley High St in North Yorkshire on July 18 as its store reduction programme gathered pace. The Stokesley shop had traded as a McColl’s for decades before it was converted into a Morrisons Daily following the supermarket’s acquisition of the convenience chain in 2022.

A minimum of 52 Post Office branches are expected to cease operations by early October, based on analysis of Post Office consultation papers by Better Retailing. However, the closures will not be permanent as they are actively seeking new retailers following Morrisons decision to close.

Morrisons is planning to shut about 100 loss making convenience stores as the supermarket faces cost pressures it says have been worsened by “Government policy”. The grocer said it was consulting affected staff and would seek to redeploy employees where possible.

A spokesman for Morrisons said: “The performance of all company owned stores across our convenience business is subject to continuous review. 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.

“This situation has been exacerbated in more recent years by significant cost increases resulting from Government policy choices, which have made returning these stores to profitability even more difficult. 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.”

It comes at a time when many retailers have faced rising business costs including higher minimum wages and last year’s national insurance rate hike. Morrisons has around 1,700 convenience shops as well as about 500 supermarkets, and employs some 95,000 staff.

But alongside the fresh closure plans, Morrisons stressed that it was still spotting opportunities to open hundreds more franchise convenience stores in the years ahead.

It also insisted that the planned closures and the targeting of new shops will be “improving the quality of our convenience estate and making it stronger overall”. Earlier this year, Morrisons told staff it was launching a consultation over job cuts at its head office in Bradford, impacting less than 10% of jobs at the site.

The retailer has also recently shut some of its cafes, convenience stores, florists and fresh food counters as part of a shake-up which led to the loss of hundreds of jobs.

The affected branches formed part of its £190 million rescue deal for McColl’s and had remained loss-making despite attempts to improve their performance.

Morrisons said closing the loss-making branches would allow it to focus on stores that “work best for customers” and strengthen its remaining convenience estate.

The Morrisons Daily Post Office branches earmarked for closure include:

1. Avon Drive Post Office, Morrisons, 18 Avon Drive, Bedford, MK41 7AF.
2. Bewdley Post Office, Morrisons, 7 Load Street, Bewdley, DY12 2AF.
3. Blackwater Post Office, Morrisons, 24 London Road, Blackwater, Camberley, GU17 9AA.
4. Brigg Post Office, Morrisons, 8 Wrawby Street, Brigg, DN20 8ER.
5. Burpham Post Office, Morrisons, 214 London Road, Burpham, Guildford, GU4 7JS.
6. Calne Post Office, Morrisons, 21 Phelps Parade, Calne, SN11 0HA.
7. Chalfont St Peter Post Office, Morrisons, 51-55 St Peters Court, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross, SL9 9QQ.
8. Church Road Post Office, Morrisons, 96 Church Road, Barnes, London, SW13 0DQ.
9. Clerkhill Post Office, Morrisons, Clerkhill Road, Peterhead, AB42 2XE.
10. Coley Park Post Office, Morrisons, 56 Wensley Road, Coley Park, Reading, RG1 6DJ.
11. Crown Wood Post Office, Morrisons, Crown Wood, Bracknell, RG12 0TH.
12. Darras Hall Post Office, Morrisons, 25 The Broadway, Ponteland, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE20 9PW.
13. Defoe Parade Post Office, Morrisons, 3 Defoe Parade, Grays, RM16 4QR.
14. Downend Post Office, Morrisons, 4 Downend Road, Downend, Bristol, BS16 5UJ Edinburgh Road Post Office, Morrisons, 69-71 Edinburgh Road, Jarrow, NE32 4BB.
15. Fairfax Avenue Post Office, Morrisons, 161 Fairfax Avenue, Hull, HU5 4QZ.
16. Fleet Post Office, Morrisons, 229 Fleet Road, Fleet, GU51 3HH.
17. Goldsworth Park Post Office, Morrisons, 5 Denton Way, Woking, GU21 3LG.
18. Great Baddow Post Office, Morrisons, The Vineyards, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7QS.
19. Greystoke Avenue Post Office, Morrisons, 12 Arnside Road, Southmead, Bristol, BS10 6AT.
20. Grove Hill Post Office, Morrisons, 3 Grove Hill Centre, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 6BJ.
21. Hallgrove Post Office, Morrisons, 10 Hallgrove, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4PH.
22. Hassocks Post Office, Morrisons, 44 Keymer Road, Hassocks, BN6 8AR.
23. Heatherside Post Office, Morrisons, 8 Heatherside Arcade, Heatherside, GU15 1AX.
24. Horley Post Office, Morrisons, Unit 4 Consort Way, Horley, RH6 7AF.
25. Hundredstone Post Office, Morrisons, 53 Glenthorne Avenue, Yeovil, BA21 4PN.
26. Ifield Drive Post Office, Morrisons, Ifield Drive, Crawley, RH11 0DQ.
27. Jansel Square Post Office, Morrisons, 35 Jansel Square, Aylesbury, HP21 7ET.
28. Leominster Post Office, Morrisons, 1-3 South Street, Leominster, HR6 8JA.
29. Locks Bottom Post Office, Morrisons, 336-338 Crofton Road, Orpington, BR6 8NW.
30. Longfield Post Office, Morrisons, 69 Station Road, Longfield, DA3 7QA.
31. Luton Post Office, Morrisons, 214 Luton Road, Chatham, ME4 5BS.
32. Manston Drive Post Office, Morrisons, 3 Snowley Parade, Bishops Stortford, CM23 5EP Marshalswick Post Office, Morrisons, 29 The Quadrant, Marshalswick, St Albans, AL4 9RE.
33. Montague Avenue Post Office, Morrisons, 53 Montague Avenue, Southampton, SO19 0QB.
34. Murch Post Office, Morrisons, The Parade, Dinas Powys, CF64 4NR.
35. New Ash Green Post Office, Morrisons, 19-21 The Row, New Ash Green, Longfield, DA3 8JB.
36. New Milton Post Office, Morrisons, 75-77 Station Road, New Milton, BH25 6JD.
37. North Parade Post Office, Morrisons, 16-18 North Parade, Chessington, KT9 1QF.
38. Radyr Post Office, Morrisons, 10 Station Road, Radyr, Cardiff, CF15 8AA.
39. Riverview Park Post Office, Morrisons, 4-6 The Alma, Gravesend, DA12 4NG.
40. Rochford Post Office, Morrisons, 14 West Street, Rochford, SS4 1AJ.
41. Shortstown Post Office, Morrisons, North Drive, Shortstown, Bedford, MK42 0TL.
42. Stephenson Square Post Office, Morrisons, 10 Stephenson Square, Walsall, WS2 7DY.
43. Surbiton Post Office, Morrisons, 2-3 Victoria Road, Surbiton, KT6 4JU.
44. Taunton Road Post Office, Morrisons, 135 Taunton Road, Bridgwater, TA6 6BD.
45. Thatcham Post Office, Morrisons, 54-55 The Broadway, Thatcham, RG19 3HP.
46. The Neighbourhood Centre Post Office, Morrisons, 9 The Neighbourhood Centre, Poole, BH17 9DW.
47. The Oval Post Office, Morrisons, 17-19 The Oval, Stevenage, SG1 5RA.
48. West Park Post Office, Morrisons, 444 Crownhill Road, West Park, Plymouth, PL5 2QT.
49. Whipton Post Office, Morrisons, 352 Pinhoe Road, Exeter, EX4 8AJ.
50. Woodthorpe Post Office, Morrisons, 51 Moorcroft Road, York, YO24 2RQ.

All of these vacancies are advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk as Post Office wants new operators to take on these business opportunities.