Somerset Morrisons store closing in 'tough but necessary' decision

A Morrisons Daily convenience store in Yeovil is set to close next month as part of a nationwide review of the supermarket giant's company-owned convenience estate.

Morrisons has confirmed that its store on Glenthorne Avenue will close on Saturday, August 1.

The closure forms part of a wider programme affecting a number of company-owned convenience stores that were acquired as part of Morrisons' takeover of McColl's in 2022.

Somerset Morrisons closing in 'tough but necessary' decision

A Morrisons spokesperson said: "Expansion of our convenience business is a core part of Morrisons growth strategy.

"We currently have around 1,700 convenience stores, opening more than 120 new franchise stores last year, and we have a robust plan in place for further expansion in 2026.

"We continue to see the opportunity to open hundreds more franchise convenience stores in the years ahead."

The retailer said it had invested significantly in the former McColl's estate since the acquisition, rebranding many stores as Morrisons Daily and carrying out improvements across the network.

However, the company said an ongoing review of its convenience business had identified a number of loss-making stores whose performance had remained challenging despite efforts to improve profitability.

The spokesperson 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."

Morrisons said rising operating costs had made it increasingly difficult for some stores, like the one on Glenthorne Avenue, to return to profit.

The spokesperson added: "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."

The retailer warned that some convenience store colleagues could be "at risk of redundancy", although it said it would seek to redeploy affected staff where possible.

Morrisons said it remains committed to growing its convenience business through franchise stores, stressing that the closure programme relates only to company-owned sites.

The closure of the Morrisons Daily store at 53 Glenthorne Avenue, Yeovil, will enable the supermarket brand "to concentrate on those stores which work best for customers, improving the quality of our convenience estate and making it stronger overall", it said.