Morrisons is replacing Market Street counters it previously stripped out of stores after feedback from customers.
Last year the Bradford supermarket closed 35 meat and 35 fish counters from supermarkets across the UK, as part of wider cost-cutting measures that also saw it close 52 cafés, 13 florists, four pharmacies and all 18 branches of its Market Kitchen format.
The move drew backlash in the wider press and pushback from affected customers, who claimed Morrisons was moving away from the vision of founder Ken Morrison, and its key point of difference. However, Morrisons insisted at the time that the locations chosen were unprofitable.
Now the supermarket is reversing some of those changes and is reopening some of the meat and fish counters that were closed. The Grocer understands that senior executives acknowledged the cost-cutting might have gone too far at the time, after feedback from customers in stores.
Morrisons outlined the proposals as part of its relaunched Morrisons Magic strategy at its annual IGD conference in June. While counters will still feature the “traditional” manned service, the offer will be updated to include flatbeds and more grab and go options.
It comes as part of a wider ongoing modernisation of Market Street under group trading director Andrew Staniland. It has seen additions like digital ordering screens at pizza counters, as well as the rollout of more prepared options.
In the year since the closures were announced, Morrisons has significantly improved the waste yield from its counters, making the counters more efficient to run, it said.
“Our Market Street counters are part of our DNA,” a spokesman for the supermarket told The Grocer. “They are at the heart of our offer and a real differentiator for Morrisons.
“We closed a small number of meat and fish counters last year – and have learned a lot from that. We have listened to customers and are now planning to reopen a number of these over the coming months. So, customers can look forward to having skilled butchers and fishmongers back in store to prepare their meat and fish just the way they like it.”
It will be a phased reopening, with a small number set to open each month. Great Park in Newcastle, Herne Bay, Thornbury and Yeadon in Leeds are among the stores where counters have already been reopened. More would “follow soon,” Morrisons confirmed.
Morrisons has not said exactly how many of the 70 closed counters will be replaced. It is not planning to reopen any of the cafés, florists, Market Kitchen or pharmacies that were closed.
Morrisons ‘went too far’ on cost cutting
It is not the first time Morrisons has reversed some of its previous cost-cutting measures. In August 2024, it began stripping out a number of self-checkouts after CEO Rami Baitiéh admitted it “went a bit too far” with the technology.
Morrisons typically attracts a higher proportion of older shoppers compared with other supermarkets, with around 70% of its shoppers categorised as coming from a two-person household.
Now in the third year of his turnaround plan, Baitiéh has returned Morrisons to growth. However, sales remain sluggish, with take-home grocery sales up just 1.4% in June, according to the latest Worldpanel figures. Morrisons lost its place as the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket in May after being overtaken by Lidl. However, Morrisons insists the figures do not reflect its convenience store sales.
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