Morrisons made 3,600 staff redundant after Scots stores affected
Morrisons has bounced back into profit for the first time since 2021, but axed more than 3,600 workers.
The supermarket giant, which is based in Bradford, reported a pre-tax profit of £2.1bn for the year ending October 27, 2024 - its first since a 2021 private equity takeover - overturning losses of £919million the year before and £1.3billion the year before that, reports the Mirror.
New accounts filed at Companies House reveal the retailer slashed its workforce from 104,819 to 101,144.
That included thousands of roles across stores, manufacturing and distribution. Store staff were hit hardest, falling from 88,258 to 85,508. Manufacturing jobs dropped from 7,865 to 7,612, distribution from 5,783 to 5,424, and head office staff cut from 2,913 to 2,600.
That follows over 8,800 job losses the year before.
In Scotland, several Morrisons cafés and convenience stores were affected, with closures in towns and cities including Paisley, Bellshill, Dumbarton, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Largs, Troon, Wishaw, Helensburgh, and Erskine.
Scottish stores affected
Scots cafe's closed by Morrisons
Paisley – Falside Road
Bellshill – John Street
Dumbarton – Glasgow Road
East Kilbride – Lindsayfield and Stewartfield
Glasgow – Newlands
Largs – Irvine Road
Troon – Academy Street
Wishaw – Kirk Road
Helensburgh
Erskine – Bridgewater Shopping Centre
Bathgate
Scots stores shut
Stewarton – Lainshaw Street
Peebles – Old Town
Despite the profit, the retailer's revenue actually dipped from £18.3bn to £17bn. However, like-for-like sales rose 3.9%, while total sales in Q2 of the current financial year climbed 4.2% to £3.9bn. Underlying EBITDA for the first half rose 7.2% to £344million.
17 Morrisons Daily convenience stores were shut across the UK earlier this year, including one in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, and another in Peebles, in the Borders.
CEO Rami Baitiéh stated: "Against the backdrop of a challenging macro environment, with inflation driving subdued consumer sentiment, value remains at the forefront of customers' minds.
"Throughout the first half, we've worked hard on helping customers through these challenges with a rigorous focus on price, promotions and meaningful rewards for loyalty."
Earlier this year, the retailer also closed over 50 of its in-store cafés, putting another 365 jobs in jeopardy, many of them Scottish branches.
Morrisons closures are part of a wider trend among UK supermarkets tightening their belts.
Aldi said in February it would slash up to 350 roles at its HQ near Birmingham. Sainsbury's revealed it would cut 3,000 jobs and shut all in-store cafés. Tesco followed suit, axing 400 roles to 'simplify' operations.
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