The supermarket is Britain’s fourth-largest, but has big plans
Morrisons has launched a £2,000 scheme to lure shoppers into stores across Britain away from Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s.
The Bradford-born supermarket is currently Britain’s fifth-biggest for revnue, but it wants to climb the rankings and take on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda.
Morrisons has more than 1,600 convenience stores under its ‘Morrisons Daily’ brand, but it recently announced it’s eyeing a rapid expansion by opening more convenience stores to attract shoppers.
The supermarket giant is offering £2,000 to corner shop franchisees to switch their allegiances from other supermarket convenience store brands, like Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s Local, and Asda Express to its Morrisons Daily brand, reports the Scottish Grocer .
Bosses plan to do so with the £2,000 switch measure, doubling the ‘refer a friend’ prize pot for existing franchisees that convince others to move over to Morrisons, and launching a ‘Hot Weather Club’ for store operators. Club members will receive essential water and ice products to registered stores when local temperatures hit 23C or above.
The move was announced at the company’s recent national franchise conference. Paul Dobson, wholesale director at Morrisons, said: “Our franchise partners are the engine for the future growth for Morrisons Daily and this conference was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our shared successes.
“We are entirely committed to supporting their businesses by reducing operational costs and making the very best of Morrisons – from our skilled teams to innovations like our Hot Weather Club – fully available to them.”
Franchising is a common method for major brands to quickly expand their operations. Usually, large companies sign a deal with smaller traders to open a shop using their branding and products.
Morrisons has been in business since 1899, but its Daily corner shop brand has only been in existence since 2015. The Cheshire town of Crewe was the first Daily location, but in the decade since, more than 1,600 stores have since opened.
That expansion was given a big boost when Morrisons purchased the McColls newsagents business from administration in 2022. Morrisons was already the sole supplier to the former high street favourite, but solidified its control with the takeover, rebranding its shops.
Around 600 — nearly 40 per cent — of Morrisons Daily stores are run by franchisees, and it appears the supermarket head office hopes to increase those numbers in the coming years.