Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc (LSE: MRW) is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom.[1] The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies. Morrisons' market share as of January 2008 is at 11.4%, making it the smallest of the "Big Four" supermarkets, behind Tesco (31.5%), Asda (16.8%) and Sainsbury's (15.9%), but far ahead of the fifth place Co-operative Group, which has a share of 4.4%.[1]
Originally founded by William Morrison in 1899, it started out as an egg and butter stall in Rawson Market, Bradford, England. Until 2004, Morrisons store locations were primarily focused in the north of England, but with the takeover of Safeway in that year, the company now has a total of 417 superstores across the UK.
The Morrison family currently owns around 15.5% of the company.[2]
Contents |
History
Founding
The Company was founded by William Morrison in 1899, initially as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market, Bradford, England operating under the name of Wm Morrison (Provisions) Limited.[3]
His son, Ken Morrison took over the company in 1952, aged 26. In 1958 it opened a small shop in the city centre.[3] It was the first self-service store in Bradford, the first store to have prices on its products and it had three checkouts. The company opened its first supermarket "Victoria", in the Girlington district of Bradford in 1961.[3] This came with 5,000 sq ft of selling space and car parking spaces for customers, the location only being chosen after Morrisons could not afford to build a supermarket closer to the city centre.
Morrisons also occupies the site in Idle, Bradford, where Jowett cars were once manufactured and where there is a wallfrieze denoting the origins of the site. The company also has a Jowett Bradford Van in Morrison's livery that promotes the company.[citation needed]
Publicly traded company
In 1967 it became a public limited company listed on the London Stock Exchange.[3]
Acquisition of Safeway
Morrisons store in Consett, County Durham, a former Safeway branchIn 2004 Morrisons, which operated mainly in the North of England, acquired Safeway, a British supermarket chain which owned 479 stores, mainly in Scotland and the South of England.[4] The acquisition quickly ran into difficulties caused in part by the outgoing management of Safeway changing their accounting systems just six weeks before the transaction was completed.[5] The result was a series of profit warnings being issued by Morrisons, poor financial results[6] and a need to revert to manual systems.[7]
The programme of store conversions from Safeway to Morrisons was the largest of its kind in British retail history, focusing initially on the retained stores which were freehold, over 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2) with separate car parks. Within a few weeks, Safeway carrier bags were replaced by those of Morrisons and the new owner's own-brand products began to appear in Safeway stores.[8]
Originally 52 stores were to be compulsorily divested after the takeover, but this was reduced to 50 after one Safeway store in Sunderland was burned down and the lease ended on another in Leeds city centre. John Lewis Partnership purchased 19 to be part of its Waitrose chain,[9] while J Sainsbury plc purchased a further 14,[10] and Tesco bought 10 in October 2004.[11]
Unlike other operators, most notably Tesco and Sainsbury's, Morrisons had chosen not to move into the convenience store sector. Further to this policy decision, it was announced in late 2004 that the 114 smaller 'Safeway Compact' stores were to be sold off to rival supermarket chain Somerfield in a two-part deal worth £260.2 million in total.[12]
In Northern Ireland Morrisons sold Safeway's stores to ASDA. This included a store in Bangor which actually opened after the Morrisons takeover.[13]
Morrisons market share decreased after its purchase of Safeway, but it eventually grew again after the store disposals and conversions.Morrisons continued to sell and close stores not covered by the Competition Commission ruling, which it felt did not fit with the scale and layout of its Market Street format. In total, 254 stores were sold off by October 2006, which left the chain with 367 stores by November 2006. In all, 72 stores were sold that were neither part of the original Competition Commission ruling or part of the Safeway Compact portfolio.
One of the largest single purchases in 2005 was that of five stores by Waitrose.[14] On 18 July 2006, a further six stores from the 'Rump' format were sold to Waitrose, including the former Safeway store in Hexham, Northumberland, which became the most northerly Waitrose branch in England.[15]
In May 2005, Morrisons announced the termination of Safeway's joint venture convenience store/petrol station format with BP. Under the deal, the premises were split 50/50 between the two companies.[16] Five sites were subsequently sold on to BP, while Morrisons sold the rest of its sites to Somerfield and Tesco, which both maintain a presence in this market sector.
Morrisons also sold Safeway's Channel Islands stores, in Guernsey and Jersey, to CI Traders.[17] On the Isle of Man, the Douglas store was sold to Shoprite and the Ramsey store was sold to the Co-op.[18] The Gibraltar store was originally marketed for sale, but has now been converted under the 'Rump' format. In November 2006, plans were submitted for the extension and redevelopment of the store in order to introduce the full Morrisons format.[19]
In September 2005 the Company announced the closure of former Safeway depots in Kent, Bristol and Warrington with the loss of 2,500 jobs.[20] The Kent depot has since been sold to upmarket rival Waitrose, whilst Warrington was apparently sold to frozen food rival Iceland. Part of the Bristol depot has been sold off to Gist.[21]
Morrisons store in Morecambe, LancashireThe store conversion process was completed on 24 November 2005 when the Safeway fascia disappeared from the UK.[22]
In 2007, Morrisons opened a new Distribution Centre in Swindon[23] and announced that it had bought the Gerber Foods site in Bridgewater in Somerset, for redevelopment as a fresh produce packing facility.[11]
In 2008 Sir Ken Morrison retired from the Company.[24]
Current operations
Morrisons in Reigate, SurreyMorrisons currently has 375[25] superstores in the United Kingdom (including new store openings by the end of 2007), including those it retained following its purchase of Safeway plc (see below). Until 2004, Morrisons superstores were largely concentrated in the English Midlands and the North of England, but had expanded southwards, beginning with a store at Erith, Greater London, which opened in 1998.[26] Most Morrisons stores operate from large superstores with a core focus on groceries and homewares, with fewer electronics, clothing and furnishings than the company's main supermarket rivals.
Morrisons supermarkets are currently split into 6 areas of the UK. Scotland (51), North (72), Midlands (75), South East (63) with one of these in Gibraltar, South Central (62) and the South West (51).
According to CACI, as of 2006, Morrison's has market dominance in 10 postcode areas; SY (Shrewsbury), LD (Llandrindod Wells), WS (Walsall), TS (Cleveland), TD (Hawick), BD (Bradford), HG (Harrogate), LS (Leeds), WF (Wakefield) and HD (Huddersfield).[27]
Purchase of former Co-operative and Somerfield stores
When the Co-operative Group completed its takeover of the Somerfield supermarket chain in March 2009, it was required to sell a number of stores by the Competition Commission. Morrisons purchased 35 stores from the combined group, mostly trading under the Somerfield fascia.[28] These new stores are the first of more than 100 identified by Morrisons for expansion into smaller supermarkets as it aims to have a store within 15 minutes of every UK home.[29]
Financial performance
| 52/3 weeks to | Turnover (£'m) | Profit/(loss) before tax (£'m) | Profit/(loss) after tax (£'m) | Annual Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 February 2009 | 14,528 | 655.0 | 460.0 | [1] |
| 3 February 2008 | 12,969 | 612.0 | 554.0 | [2] |
| 4 February 2007 | 12,462 | 369.0 | 247.6 | [3] |
| 29 January 2006 | 12,115 | (312.9) | (250.3) | [4] |
| 30 January 2005 | 12,116 | 193.0 | 105.0 | [5] |
| 1 February 2004 | 4,944 | 319.9 | 197.6 | [6] |
| 2 February 2003 | 4,290 | 282.5 | 186.3 | [7] |
| 3 February 2002 | 3,915 | 243.0 | 143.7 | |
| 4 February 2001 | 3,496 | 219.1 | 120.0 | |
| 29 January 2000 | 2,969 | 189.2 | 103.1 |
Market share
As of August 2008[update], according to TNS Worldpanel, Morrisons is the smallest of the 'Big Four' supermarkets with a market share of 11.1%. Whilst Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's saw increases in market share from July 2008, Morrison's saw a similar sized decrease of 0.2% in the same period.[30]
| Supermarket | Consumer Spend (£000s) | Market Share August 2008 | +/- from July 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | 6,351,531 | 31.6% | ▲ 0.3% |
| Asda | 3,410,431 | 17.0% | ▲ 0.1% |
| Sainsbury's | 3,175,543 | 15.9% | ▲ 0.1% |
| Morrisons | 2,233,137 | 11.1% | ▼ 0.2% |
Marketing and branding
Morrisons logo used until 2007On 15 March 2007, Morrisons announced that it will ditch its traditional branding and strapline in favour of a more modern brand image. CEO Marc Bolland announced: "Reflecting our nationwide presence and our many new customers, we will be making Morrisons the food specialist for everyone".[31]
The change will see the replacement of the current logo and the "More reasons to shop at Morrisons" strapline, replaced with "fresh for you everyday" or "fresh choice for you" and "Food specialist for everyone". It will also involve the replacement of external signage, as well as changes to product packaging, point of sale, advertising, staff uniforms (replacing the old blue ties and bows to green ones) and distribution vehicles. The rationale behind the decision is the need for Morrisons to attract a wider national customer base, capitalising on its expanded geographical spread following the acquisition of Safeway.[32]
The New Morrisons at SpekeOn 23 July 2007, Morrisons officially launched their new look website as well as their new advertising campaign. Their first TV advertisement under the "Fresh Choice for You" slogan appeared. This showed Denise van Outen travelling all over the country, and out to sea, with a Morrisons trolley, searching for sources of the finest ingredients. She then returns to Morrisons where everything is made freshly on Market Street. The soundtrack for the advert is Take That's song Shine which is also accompanied by a voiceover by Jim Broadbent. This is the start of a series of new adverts that will feature a range of different celebrities who will each promote the store. The new advertising campaign also unveiled a change to the new slogan, which is now "Fresh Choice for You".[33]
Morrisons at Wetherby, West YorkshireDistribution
In 2005 Morrisons purchased part of the collapsed Rathbones Bakeries operation for £15.5 million which make Rathbones and Morrisons bread.[34]
Awards
Morrisons in Wellington, Shropshire.2009
- Retailer of the Year[35]
In 2009, Morrisons was named Retail Week Retailer of the year for the second year running, becoming the first retailer to achieve this.
2008
- Retailer of the Year[36]
- Grocer of the Year 2008[37]
- Supermarket of the Year 2008[38]
- Store Manager of the year 2008[38]
- Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year 2008[38]
- Fresh Flower Supermarket of the Year 2008[38]
2007
- Fresh Pasta Retailer of the Year[39]
- Frozen Pizza Retailer of the Year[39]
- Supermarket Greetings Card Retailer of the Year[40]
- Fresh Flower Retailer of the Year[41]
- Training Initiative of the Year[41]
- Store Manager of the Year[41]
- The Grocer Customer Service Award[42]
- The Grocer Best Availability Award[42]
- Grocer Own Label Excellence Awards[43]
- Seafish Quality Award for all their Fresh Fish and Seafood counters[3]
2004
- Store Manager of the Year[3]
- Retail Product of the Year Award, Morrisons ‘Classic Walnut Dream Ice Cream’[3]
- Retail Week – Retailer of the Year[3]
- OLN Drinks Retailing Awards - Multiple Drinks Retailer[3]
2003
2002
2000
- Multiple Retailer of the Year, Retail Industry Awards[3]
- Off Licence Retailer of the Year, Retail Industry Awards[3]
- Multiple Retailer of the Year, Off Licence of the Year Awards[3]
- Pizza Retailer of the Year[3]
- Best Supermarket Fish Counter[3]
- Gold Award, ‘Winning Business’ magazine's Retail Customer[3]
- Service Survey – the only retailer to be awarded ‘Gold’[3]
- Best Large Retailer, Disability Customer Service Awards[3]
1999
See also
References
- ^ a b Co-op buys Somerfield for £1.57bn
- ^ Morrisons set to name next supermarket head
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Student pack
- ^ Morrisons seals Safeway takeover
- ^ Morrisons faces investor revolt
- ^ Morrisons plunge deep into the red
- ^ Morrisons face strike action over supply chain IT
- ^ Safeway glamour gives way to Yorkshire Bitter
- ^ Waitrose snaps up Safeway stores
- ^ Struggling Sainsburys buy Safeway stores
- ^ a b UK Business Park
- ^ Morrisons sells 114 Safeway shops
- ^ Asda moves into Northern Ireland
- ^ Waitrose adds 5 more stores to its empire
- ^ Waitrose buys more stores from Wm Morrison
- ^ UK Business Park
- ^ CI Traders buy Safeway
- ^ Morrisons pull out of Isle of Man
- ^ Friends of Gibralter Heritage Society
- ^ Morrisons staff announce walkout
- ^ Dematic
- ^ Safeway disappears after 43 years
- ^ Depot strengthens Morrisons in the South
- ^ Sir Ken Morrison, 76, bows out to applause and sales gift
- ^ Morrisons Annual Report 2008
- ^ Morrisons sail into Southern supermarket battle
- ^ "Tesco 'top' in more parts of the UK". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6040552.stm. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ The Guardian, 4 December 2008
- ^ The Guardian, 13 March 2009
- ^ Market share - August 2008
- ^ The Grocer Today - Latest News | www.thegrocer.co.uk
- ^ 20/20 rebrands Morrisons - Design Week
- ^ Morrisons has fresh choice for you
- ^ Morrison buys Rathbone Bakeries
- ^ Morrisons wins Retailer of the Year for second year running
- ^ Morrisons scoops retailer of the year award
- ^ Morrisons crowned 'Grocer of the Year 2008'
- ^ a b c d Morrisons crowned supermarket of the year
- ^ a b Morrisons is top of Italian Cuisine
- ^ Awards greeting cards winners
- ^ a b c Morrisons is first for flowers
- ^ a b Morrison is customer service champion
- ^ Morrisons products scoop top industry awards
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Morrisons |
| Companies portal |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Categories: Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange | Companies established in 1899 | Supermarkets of the United Kingdom | Companies based in Bradford
|
