Morrisons facts for kids
Logo used since 2015
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Trade name
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Morrisons |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1899 |
| Founder | William Morrison |
| Headquarters | Bradford, England |
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Key people
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Rami Baitiéh (CEO) |
| Products |
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| Brands |
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| Revenue |  GB£18,479 million (2022) |
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Operating income
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GB£251 million (2022) |
 —GB£25 million (2022) |
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| Owner | Clayton, Dubilier & Rice |
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Number of employees
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110,000 (2021) |
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Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, known as Morrisons, is one of the biggest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, Morrisons had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales, and Scotland, plus one in Gibraltar. The company's main office is in Bradford, England.
Morrisons was started in 1899 by William Morrison. It began as a small stall selling eggs and butter in a market in Bradford. For many years, most Morrisons stores were in the North of England. However, after Morrisons bought another supermarket chain called Safeway in 2004, the company grew a lot, opening stores in the South of England, Wales, and Scotland. In February 2021, Morrisons had 110,000 employees and served about 11 million customers every week.
Morrisons was listed on the London Stock Exchange until a private investment company, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), bought it in October 2021. After this takeover, Morrisons faced some financial challenges.
Morrisons is currently the fifth largest supermarket in the UK based on its share of the market (8.8%). It was overtaken by Aldi in September 2022.
Contents
History of Morrisons
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How Morrisons Started
William Morrison started his business in June 1899. He began by selling eggs and butter from a stall in Rawson Market, Bradford, England. His company was called Wm Morrison Limited.
His son, Ken Morrison, took over the company in 1952 when he was 21 years old. In 1958, Morrisons opened a small shop in the city centre. This was special because it was Bradford's first self-service store, meaning customers could pick their own items. It was also the first store to show prices on its products and had three checkouts. Morrisons opened its first large supermarket called "Victoria" in Bradford in 1961.
In 1967, Morrisons became a public limited company, which meant its shares could be bought and sold on the London Stock Exchange.
Buying Safeway Stores
In March 2004, Morrisons bought Safeway, another British supermarket chain. Safeway had 479 stores, and this purchase helped Morrisons open many more stores, especially in southern England. The deal cost Morrisons about £3.3 billion.
Turning Safeway stores into Morrisons stores was a huge project. Morrisons quickly replaced Safeway shopping bags with their own and started selling Morrisons own-brand products in the former Safeway stores.
Some of the Safeway stores had to be sold to other companies to avoid one company having too much control. For example, Waitrose bought 19 stores, Sainsbury's bought 14, and Tesco bought 10. Morrisons also sold 114 smaller Safeway stores to Somerfield for £260.2 million.
By November 2005, all Safeway signs had been replaced, and the conversion of stores was complete.
Changes in Leadership
After buying Safeway, Morrisons faced some challenges. The company brought in a new Chief Executive, Marc Bolland, in 2006 to help improve things.
On 13 March 2008, Sir Ken Morrison, who had led the company for 55 years, retired as chairman. He was given the title of Honorary President.
Growing the Business
When the Co-operative Group took over Somerfield in 2009, they had to sell some stores. Morrisons bought 35 of these stores, which helped them expand into smaller supermarkets. Their goal was to have a store within 15 minutes of every home in the UK.
Marc Bolland left Morrisons in December 2009, and Dalton Philips became the new CEO in January 2010.
In 2010, Morrisons started working with the clothing retailer Peacocks. They opened small Peacocks sections inside some Morrisons stores. Later, Morrisons launched its own children's clothing brand called 'Nutmeg'.
The first Morrisons M local store, a smaller convenience store, opened in Ilkley, Yorkshire, in 2011. These stores were later sold and renamed "My Local" in 2015.
In May 2013, Morrisons partnered with Ocado to use their technology and delivery systems. This helped Morrisons launch its own online shopping service.
Making Changes
In February 2014, some members of the Morrison family, who still owned part of the company, were concerned about its performance. They felt that the company's strategy needed to change.
In June 2014, Morrisons announced plans to change its management structure, which meant some jobs were cut. However, they also planned to create new jobs in their convenience stores and new supermarkets.
After a drop in sales during Christmas 2014, the chairman, Sir Ian Gibson, left early. Andrew Higginson took over as chairman in January 2015. In February 2015, David Potts became the new chief executive.
Morrisons also decided to close ten stores that were not making enough money. They also slowed down the opening of new convenience stores.
In June 2015, Morrisons lowered the prices of 200 everyday items. The company also decided to make its head office in Bradford simpler, which led to some job losses.
In September 2015, Morrisons sold its 140 M Local convenience stores. These stores were renamed My Local. Morrisons also announced the closure of 11 supermarkets. In January 2016, they announced that 7 more stores would close.
In November 2015, Morrisons launched a special milk called 'For Farmers'. They said that an extra 23p from each 4-pint bottle would go to farmers. Later, Morrisons changed the plan so that the extra payment went directly to a group of British farmers.
In March 2020, Morrisons planned to reduce 3,000 management roles and create 7,000 new jobs on the shop floor as part of a big restructuring plan.
In August 2021, some animal welfare groups protested against Morrisons. They asked the company to sign the Better Chicken Commitment, which would ban fast-growing chicken breeds and give birds more space and natural light. Morrisons stated they cared about animal welfare and were investigating the concerns.
CD&R Takes Over
In June 2021, Morrisons turned down an offer of £5.5 billion from a private investment company called Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). Morrisons felt the offer was too low.
In July 2021, another group led by Fortress Investment Group offered £6.3 billion to buy Morrisons. The Morrisons board accepted this offer. However, in August 2021, CD&R made an even higher offer of £7 billion, which the Morrisons board then recommended to its shareholders.
In October 2021, the £7 billion offer from CD&R was accepted, and the takeover was approved.
In May 2022, Morrisons bought McColl's, a chain of convenience stores.
In February 2023, about 16 months after CD&R bought Morrisons, reports showed that the company was facing financial difficulties. Its profits had dropped, and its debt had increased significantly. Morrisons makes more than half of its own products, including meat and vegetables. Some people in the industry thought that Morrisons might sell off this part of its business.
In September 2023, it was announced that Rami Baitiéh would become the new Chief Executive, taking over from David Potts on 6 November 2023.
How Morrisons Operates Today
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In July 2020, Morrisons had 497 large supermarkets in the UK. Before 2004, most of their stores were in the English Midlands and the North of England. Since then, they have opened many more stores further south.
In April 2021, Morrisons announced that it would stop selling plastic bags in its stores. They replaced them with paper bags to help reduce plastic waste.
Store Layouts
Most large Morrisons supermarkets have a special area called Market Street. Here, you can find fresh produce, a butcher's counter, a deli with cheese, and a rotisserie counter called Oven Fresh.
Smaller Convenience Stores
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After their first attempt with M Local stores, Morrisons started opening smaller convenience stores again in 2016. These are called Morrisons Daily stores. They often partner with petrol stations like Motor Fuel Group, Rontec, MPK Garages, and Essar.
In 2018, Morrisons made a deal with SandpiperCI to open 43 Morrisons Daily stores in the Channel Islands. By 2022, 19 of these stores had been converted.
In 2021, Morrisons and McColl's agreed to change 300 McColl's stores into Morrisons Daily stores over the next three years. Morrisons also supplies products to over 1,200 McColl's stores.
Morrisons also brought back the Safeway brand in 2016. This brand is used in some of their wholesale customer stores and in some Morrisons Daily stores.
Online Shopping
For many years, Morrisons did not offer online grocery shopping. In May 2013, they partnered with Ocado to use their technology and delivery systems to launch their own online service. Morrisons also works with Amazon to supply products for their Prime Pantry service.
Morrisons' share of the UK supermarket market has changed over the years. In September 2022, it was 9.1%. This placed them behind Tesco (26.9%), Sainsbury's (14.6%), and Asda (14.1%). They were very close to Aldi (9.3%) and ahead of Lidl (7.1%).
Making Their Own Products
Morrisons is unique because it makes more than half of the products it sells in its own factories. This includes things like meat from their abattoirs, vegetables from their packing houses, and fish from their processing plants. This means they control a lot of their supply chain.
Home Delivery Service
Like most large UK supermarkets, Morrisons now offers a home delivery service.
In June 2020, during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Morrisons started a special home delivery program. This allowed elderly and vulnerable people to order groceries by phone if they lived within 10 miles of a Morrisons shop. This service, called Morrisons Doorstep Delivery, continued even after the pandemic restrictions were lifted.
Petrol Stations
Morrisons operates 339 petrol stations across the UK (as of 2022). They offer Petrol and Diesel at all sites, and LPG Autogas at some. Most petrol stations are located in the car park of a Morrisons store, but some are standalone Morrisons Daily or Morrisons Select stations.
Over the years, Morrisons petrol stations have had different looks and colour schemes.
| Petrol station branding | Colour scheme | Example image(s) | Years introduced | Notes/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles Better Value | Black text on yellow | Before 1998 | These colours stayed on some petrol stations until 2008. | |
| Yellow text on black v1 | ||||
| Yellow text on black v2 | 1998 — 2007 | |||
| Yellow with green text on white | 2007–2011 | These colours stayed on some petrol stations until 2020. | ||
| Grey with green text on white | ||||
| M Refuel | White text on green | 2011–2016 | ||
| Morrisons Daily / Select | White and yellow text on green | 2016 — present |
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Fuel Cards
For many years, Morrisons petrol stations had a loyalty card called the Miles card. Customers earned points when they bought fuel. This was replaced by the Match & More card in 2014, then the More card in 2016, and My Morrisons in 2021. In 2023, it was rebranded again as Morrisons More, where points can be collected for money off shopping.
Past Businesses
Kiddicare
In 2011, Morrisons bought a children's retailer called Kiddicare for £70 million. They hoped this would help them learn how to sell clothing and homewares online. Morrisons later sold Kiddicare in 2014.
FreshDirect
Morrisons bought a small part of an online grocery company in New York called FreshDirect in 2011. They sent a team to learn from this business. However, Morrisons later sold its share in FreshDirect in 2014 because of its own financial difficulties.
Convenience Stores
Morrisons used to run smaller stores called "Morrisons M Local" in big cities like Birmingham and Manchester. These stores were similar to other small convenience stores but offered a wider range of hot food, like pastries and a salad bar. They also allowed shoppers to order fresh meat and fish.
Around 70 of these stores were opened by the end of 2013. However, the M Local chain was sold to another company in 2015 and renamed My Local. That chain then closed less than a year later.
Marketing and Branding
Logos and Slogans
On 15 March 2007, Morrisons introduced a "more modern brand image" for all its stores and vehicles. They kept the main 'Morrisons' name and colours but changed the 'M' logo. Their low-price brand, Bettabuy, was also changed to Morrisons Value, and later to M Savers in 2012.
The old yellow and black logo was replaced. Slogans also changed over time:
- 'More Reasons To Shop at Morrisons'
- 'Fresh Choice For You' (2007)
- 'Eat Fresh. Pay Less' (2010)
- 'More Of What Matters' (2013)
In 2015, Morrisons launched a new logo and the slogan 'Morrisons Makes It'. This was to remind people of the company's history of making its own food. The new logo was put on all store signs, staff uniforms, and inside the stores.
In May 2023, Morrisons brought back its old slogan and jingle: 'More Reasons to Shop at Morrisons'.
Loyalty Card
In 2014, Morrisons introduced the Match & More card. This card would match the prices of comparable groceries at other supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Asda. If a customer spent £15 or more and could have paid less elsewhere, Morrisons would give them the difference in points on their card. For example, a 1p difference meant 10 points, and a £1 difference meant 1,000 points.
In 2016, the Match & More cards were rebranded as the "More" loyalty card. In May 2021, the loyalty scheme changed again to "My Morrisons," and the points collection feature was removed.
However, the Morrisons More loyalty scheme was brought back on 22 May 2023. This latest change means customers can once again collect points, with 5000 points being worth £5 in 2023.
Product Ranges
Morrisons sells thousands of products under its own brands. One of these is Morrisons Savers (formerly M Savers), which is an economy brand. It includes many items from food and drink to toiletries and was one of the fastest-growing grocery brands in the UK in 2015.
Tommy's Afternoon Tea Box
In September 2020, Morrisons launched a special 'Tommy's Afternoon Tea Box'. This box was created to help shoppers celebrate the end of World War Two. For every box sold, £1 went to the Tommy Tea initiative through the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) charity. Morrisons also gave an extra £10,000 to the charity.
Distribution
In 2005, Morrisons bought part of Rathbones Bakeries, which used to supply Morrisons with bread.
In 2007, Morrisons opened a new Distribution Centre in Swindon. They also announced plans to build a new facility in Bridgwater, Somerset, for packing fresh produce.
In 2011, Morrisons opened its large new distribution centre in Bridgwater. This project cost £11 million and created 1,200 new jobs. After this new centre opened, the Swindon depot was no longer needed and closed in December 2011.
See also
- List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom
- McColl's
- Mainstop
