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Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC
Type Public LSE: MRW
Founded 1899
Headquarters Flag of the United Kingdom Bradford, England, UK
Key people Sir Ian Gibson, Non-Executive Chairman
Marc Bolland Chief Executive
Industry Retail (Grocery)
Products Groceries, consumer goods
Revenue £12,462 million (2007)
Operating income £423 million (2007)
Net income £248 million (2007)
Employees 118,880
Website www.morrisons.co.uk

Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc (LSE: MRW) is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A chief executive officer ( CEO) or chief executive is typically the highest-ranking corporate officer ( executive) or administrator For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages A Public Limited Company ( PLC, plc or plc or p l c is a type of Limited company in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland which is The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. TNS Worldpanel is a division of the United Kingdom based global market information group TNS, which analyses the British grocery sector Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [1] The company is usually referred to as Morrisons, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies. The FTSE 100 Index (ˈfʊtsiː footsie, abbreviated Financial Times Stock Exchange Index) is a Share index of the 100 most highly capitalised Morrisons market share as of January 2008 is at 11. 4%, making it the smallest of the "Big Four" supermarkets, behind Tesco (31. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain 5%), ASDA (16. Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise 7%) and Sainsbury's (16. J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest 4%), but far ahead of fifth place Waitrose which has a share of 3. Waitrose is the Supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, with 192 branches as of September 2008 9%. [2]

Founded in 1899 by William Morrison in Bradford, England, Morrisons was for many years focused in the north of England. William Morrison is the name of several persons William James Morrison (painter, founder of even flow painting co William Morrison (businessman Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland With the takeover of Safeway in 2004, the company expanded southwards, and now has a total of 375 superstores across the UK. Safeway was a chain of Supermarkets and Convenience stores in the United Kingdom.

Contents

History

Morrisons was founded by William Morrison in 1899, initially as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market, Bradford, England. William Morrison is the founder of the Morrisons supermarket chain Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. His son, Sir Ken Morrison was chairman of the company until March 2008 when he officially resigned as chairman. Sir Kenneth Duncan Morrison CBE (born 20 October 1931) is the President and former chairman of Morrisons (Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc

From the early 1900s the company used the name Wm Morrison (Provisions) Limited. Sir Ken took over the company in 1952, aged 21. In 1958 it opened a small shop in the city centre, followed by its first supermarket "Victoria", in the Girlington district of Bradford in 1961. Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. In 1967 it became a public limited company listed on the London Stock Exchange. A Public Limited Company ( PLC, plc or plc or p l c is a type of Limited company in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland which is The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England.

Morrisons Today

Morrisons store in Morecambe, Lancashire
Morrisons store in Morecambe, Lancashire
Morrisons in Reigate, Surrey
Morrisons in Reigate, Surrey

Morrisons currently has 375[3] 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). Morecambe is a resort town within the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire, England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Safeway was a chain of Supermarkets and Convenience stores in the United Kingdom. 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 [4]. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation. Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line Erith ( ˈɪərɨθ is a place in the London Borough of Bexley, south east London on the River Thames. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. 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.

In May 2006, Sir Ken Morrison announced he intended to step down as executive chairman in January 2008 after 56 years with the company. The following month it was announced that Marc Bolland, the Dutch chief operating officer of Heineken International had been appointed as the new chief executive of Morrisons. Heineken International is a Dutch Brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam.

On 12 July 2007 Morrisons announced the appointment of a non-executive Deputy Chairman Sir Ian Gibson (Chairman of Trinity Mirror PLC, Director of Greggs PLC, GKN PLC and Northern Rock PLC and President of Nissan Europe) who will take over as non-executive chairman when Sir Ken steps down no later than 13 March 2008[5]. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Trinity Mirror plc is a large United Kingdom Newspaper and Magazine publisher Greggs plc ( is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom GKN plc ( is a leading British Engineering company The Company was formerly known as Guest Keen and Nettlefolds and can tracing its origins back See also Nationalisation of Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British Bank, currently under public ownership Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Morrisons is now one of just four supermarket chains that dominate the full-size superstore market in the United Kingdom. In descending order of size the other three are Tesco, ASDA (owned by Wal-Mart), and Sainsbury's. Tesco plc is a British -based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest Morrisons strategy is based on doing the basics efficiently, selling predominantly food at lower prices, and doing so only from large stores. This is a different approach from the other three big chains: Tesco and Sainsbury's in particular have moved into "retail services" such as banking, insurance etc; the same two companies are expanding into the convenience store sector with Sainsbury's recently taking over Jacksons Stores[2]; and Tesco and ASDA place great emphasis on their non-food ranges and are experimenting with stand alone non-food stores. A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations.

The Morrison family currently own around 15. 5% of the company, compared to the 18% they were previously thought to have held [6]. This was diluted from the near 40% they owned before buying Safeway plc in March 2004.

Some analysts have expressed concern that Morrisons value-focused marketing may not be as successful in affluent parts of Southern England, as they are in the company's traditional northern heartlands. Southern England is an imprecise term used to refer to the southern Counties of England. Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line At the 2005 annual results briefing, Sir Ken Morrison informed investors, "I don't know what a 'middle class shopper' is". Despite this, Morrisons has a large and growing 'The Best' range encompassing more premium food products and household accessories [7].

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). Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar

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 (Galashiels), BD (Bradford), HG (Harrogate), LS (Leeds), WF (Wakefield) and HD (Huddersfield). CACI International Inc ( is a publicly held Information Technology (IT company headquartered in Arlington Virginia and London England. The, also known as the Shrewsbury postcode area, is a group of postal districts primarily around Shrewsbury, but also covering Aberystwyth, Bishop's Shrewsbury ( /ˈʃruːzbri/ or /ˈʃroʊzbri/ is the County town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England The LD postcode area, also known as the Llandrindod Wells postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Brecon, Talgarth, Builth Wells Llandrindod Wells (Llandrindod known locally as "Llandod" is a Town in Powys, Wales. The, also known as the Walsall postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Burntwood, Cannock, Lichfield, Rugeley, Walsall ( is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. The TS postcode area, also known as the Cleveland postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Billingham, Guisborough, Hartlepool, Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state The, also known as the Galashiels postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Cockburnspath, Coldstream, Cornhill-on-Tweed Galashiels is a Burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The, also known as the Harrogate postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough in England Harrogate (or Harrogate Spa) is a large wealthy Spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The LS postcode area, also known as the Leeds postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Leeds, Wetherby, Tadcaster, Pudsey Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England The, also known as the Wakefield postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Batley, Castleford, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The, also known as the Huddersfield postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Brighouse, Holmfirth and Huddersfield in England Huddersfield ( is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (306km north [8]

Awards

2008

2007

[9]

2004

2003

2002

2000

1999

Trading performance

On 15 March 2007, Morrisons announced the outcome of its strategic review, as well as its preliminary results. The Grocer is a British market leading Magazine devoted to grocery sales, published by William Reed Business Media Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Turnover was up 3% to £12. 5bn (2006: £12. 1bn), like for like sales (ex fuel) up 5. 2% (2006: 2. 4%), and profits jumped to £369. 0m before taxation- a company record (2006: (£312. 9m)). It also announced that most of the targets from its original three- year 'Optimisation Plan' had been met, including its plan to increase gross profit margin by 90bps, in one year.

The company is now going to spend £450m modernising itself. [9]

UK market share

UK, 4th March 2008 -The latest TNS Worldpanel grocery market share figures, published today for the 12 weeks ending 24th February 2008 show that the Morrisons recent growth, far from being a flash in the pan, has continued with a repeat of the 11% growth rate we saw last period. This has been driven particularly by increasing shopper numbers and, as a result, the share has lifted to 11. 6% (a record for the Morrisons fascia) from 11. 1% a year ago.

The market continues to advance strongly although it must be admitted that some of this value growth must be due to food price inflation. This factor, together with the Morrisons advance, places pressure on other retailers to keep up. There is evidence of this pressure in the competing outlets’ share performance, notably for Tesco which has seen its share dip from 31. 3% a year ago to 30. 9% today.

Takeover of Safeway

Morrisons market share decreased after its purchase of Safeway, but it eventually grew again after the store disposals and conversions.
Morrisons market share decreased after its purchase of Safeway, but it eventually grew again after the store disposals and conversions.

On 8 March 2004 the takeover by Morrisons of Safeway plc was completed (See the Safeway entry for full details of this deal). Events 1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Safeway was a chain of Supermarkets and Convenience stores in the United Kingdom. Stores under the Safeway brand were concentrated in the south of England and Scotland, thus giving Morrisons a nationwide presence for the first time. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Morrisons proceeded to rebrand the supermarkets under its own name and the convenience stores were initially rebranded as "Safeway Compact". Most larger Safeway stores were converted to the Morrisons Market Street format, while others were sold off (see below).

The best parts of the Safeway own-brand offer, such as "The Best" range of high quality foods, and "Eat Smart" range of healthy foods, were adopted across the Morrisons chain, along with many former Safeway products. 'The Best' range offers a wide variety of more upmarket products (food or otherwise) which are available in all stores. These own-brands go alongside the original Morrisons store brands such as Bettabuy (now Value), Morrisons' range of economy products. "The Best" was re-packaged and relaunched in September 2006 to compete with the increasingly diverse ranges of other supermarket chains. At the same time, Morrisons substantially increased its range of organic products as well as a new "Free-From" section of products.

In July 2004, Morrisons shocked the stock market with its first ever profits warning, largely caused by falling sales at Safeway stores. It emerged that Safeway had changed its accounting system just three weeks before the takeover and inflated its books by taking early bonus payments from suppliers, thus creating a deficit in excess of £180 million when the Morrisons accounting system was applied.

There was much initial controversy surrounding who was to blame for the early problems in integration. Morrisons and Safeway applied supplier commission at opposite ends of the scale - Safeway at the beginning of a deal and Morrisons at the very end. Safeway insiders claimed that the new accounting system had been in production for over two years prior to the takeover and said that Morrisons had full knowledge of the change in system before their takeover.

One problem for Morrisons was its radically different approach to people management. Under Safeway, store managers at a local level were given the power to plan their own promotions, stock certain items, vary prices according to local competition and even recruit additional staff; recognising the differing needs of different localities. Morrisons, on the other hand, operated a strict policy of uniformity across all its stores, with the same ranges and pricing regardless of location. While Morrisons retained its northern bias, this strategy worked well, but was less suited to the more diverse siting of former Safeway stores. The product policy has now been loosened slightly, although pricing is still centrally controlled and managers don't have as much flexibility as they had under Safeway.

It has since been admitted by Morrisons itself that the in-house finance team was ill-equipped for the task of integration and management of the newly enlarged business, which contributed in part to the early problems and profit warnings.

Converted stores now show sales up around 20 percent under the Morrisons fascia.

Store conversions and disposals

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 with separate car parks. Fee simple is an estate in land in Common law. It is the most common way Real estate is owned in common law countries and is ordinarily the most 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. In 2001, when discussing takeover speculation surrounding Safeway, Sir Ken Morrison described his then-rival as an "indigestible meal". Sir Kenneth Duncan Morrison CBE (born 20 October 1931) is the President and former chairman of Morrisons (Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc

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. Sunderland (, or /ˈsʌn(dlən/ is a City in Tyne and Wear, England. Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England John Lewis Partnership purchased 19 to be part of its Waitrose chain, while J Sainsbury plc purchased a further 14, and Tesco bought 10 in October 2004. The John Lewis Partnership is a major United Kingdom retailer which operates John Lewis Department stores Waitrose Supermarkets and Waitrose is the Supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, with 192 branches as of September 2008 J Sainsbury plc ( is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd commonly known as Sainsbury's (also Sainsbury and JS) the third largest

Unlike other operators, most notably Tesco and Sainsbury's, Morrisons has chosen not to move into the convenience store sector. A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations. 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. Somerfield is a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. 2 million in total. One of the main reasons was the Morrisons 'Market Street' store format, which is better suited to larger stores, while Somerfield is better known for smaller outlets. Also, Morrisons' senior management had realised that the challenge of integrating the larger stores would keep them fully occupied in the short term.

In Northern Ireland Morrisons sold Safeway's stores to ASDA. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Safeway Stores (Ireland was a Supermarket chain that operated in Northern Ireland between 1996 and 2005 when it was acquired by ASDA, itself owned by This included a store in Bangor which actually opened after the Morrisons takeover. Bangor (Beannchor is a large Town in County Down, Northern Ireland, with a population of 76403 people in the 2001 Census, making it the

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. On July 18, 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. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Hexham New South Wales|Hexham (constituency Hexham is a Market town in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne. Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west

In May 2005, Morrisons announced the termination of Safeway's joint venture convenience store/petrol station format with BP. BP plc, previously known as British Petroleum, is the third largest global Energy company, a multinational oil company (" Oil major Under the deal, the premises were split 50/50 between the two companies. 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. Somerfield is a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom.

Morrisons also sold Safeway's Channel Islands stores, in Guernsey and Jersey, to CI Traders. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Bailliage de Guernesey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. On the Isle of Man, the Douglas store was sold to Shoprite and the Ramsey store was sold to the Co-op. The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical Co-operative Group Limited, trading as The Co-operative Group, is a United Kingdom Consumers' co-operative, and one of the world's largest consumer-owned The Gibraltar store was originally marketed for sale, but has now been converted under the 'Rump' format. Gibraltar (dʒɨˈbrɒltər is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar In November 2006, plans were submitted for the extension and redevelopment of the store in order to introduce the full Morrisons format [10].

The company also announced a £30 million one-off charge for the closure of former Safeway depots in Kent, Bristol and Warrington with the loss of 2,500 jobs. The Kent depot has since been sold to upmarket rival Waitrose, whilst Warrington was apparently sold to frozen food rival Iceland. Waitrose is the Supermarket division of the John Lewis Partnership, with 192 branches as of September 2008 Iceland is a Supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, partly owned by the Icelandic retailer conglomerate Baugur. Part of the Bristol depot has been sold off to Gist. In computing GiST or Generalized Search Tree is a Data structure and API that can be used to build a variety of disk-based search trees.

Morrisons store in Consett, County Durham, a former Safeway branch
Morrisons store in Consett, County Durham, a former Safeway branch

In total, Morrisons raised £1. Consett (UK Parliament constituency Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Derwentside. 36 billion from selling unwanted Safeway stores. The store conversion process was completed on 24 November 2005 when the Safeway fascia disappeared from the UK. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The ongoing store divestment programme is now expected to conclude in 2007. As of December 2006, Morrisons is continuing to review its store portfolio. There are still some former Safeway stores earmarked for disposal and the 158 stores under 25,000 sq ft could be converted to a separate format called Morrisons Choice, as it is currently being referred to internally. Some of these stores could also be re-modelled and/or extended.

In 2007, Morrisons opened a new Distribution Centre in Swindon and announced that it had bought the Gerber Foods site in Burnham on Sea in Somerset, for redevelopment as a fresh produce packing facility.

Store formats

The format of most Morrisons superstores is called Market Street. The meat is near or next to the butcher's counter, the delicatessen being traditionally named Provisions with cheese fridge nearby and a rotisserie counter named Oven Fresh. Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods" There is a Pie Shop in most stores and a bell rings when a fresh batch comes out of the oven. The overall theme is based on an early 20th century street setting in the north of England running around the edge of the store, with more conventional aisles in the centre. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Recently, moves have been made to combine counters in smaller ex-Safeway stores in the interests of efficiency - for example in Stevenston the pie shop has been combined with the Provisions counter, and in Erskine the Fishmongers has been combined with the Butchers counter. Stevenston is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is one of the 'Three Towns' along with Ardrossan and Saltcoats. In original or fully converted stores, all counters are elaborately decorated to resemble a 19th century street scene. Also, in some stores (for example: Bangor, North Wales and Erskine) the Customer Service Desk has been combined with the Tobacco/Newspaper Counter and in some stores (for example: Denbigh, North Wales) there is no Customer Service Desk at all.

Morrisons store with clock tower, Doxford Park, Sunderland.
Morrisons store with clock tower, Doxford Park, Sunderland. Doxford Park (known locally as Doxy Park) is a Suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, located to the south-west of the city centre Sunderland (, or /ˈsʌn(dlən/ is a City in Tyne and Wear, England.

Most Morrisons superstores are typically between 28,500 sq ft and 36,000 sq ft, with an increasing number above 36,000 sq ft, offering food, homewares, some essential clothing (ie. socks, underwear), cafés and petrol stations. Many stores are noticeably unique in appearance from those of rivals, as Morrisons tend to take more care with the external and internal appearance as well as layout than other operators. In purpose built stores, the fruit and veg section is first, but next comes the drinks section, tinned goods and other heavy items - the idea being that heavy goods are placed in the bottom of the trolley. Most chillers and freezers are right at the back of the store, helping reduce the time that food is kept out of the fridge. One exception to this is that there are chillers arranged near the front of the store, usually on an external wall, which contain products such as ready meals and a limited selection of wines, beers and ciders - products which one may wish to obtain in a hurry. Many other touches distinguish the stores from other brands - for example the wine section will often have a lower ceiling than the rest of the store, in the form of curved timber with extensive use of spotlights. The wines are arranged according to country of origin on attractive timber shelving. Most of these features are generally evident in the larger ex-Safeway stores (such as Anniesland in Glasgow), and all original Morrisons stores. Anniesland is a District in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and centres around the junction of the Great Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom

All original Morrisons stores include a clock tower above the main entrance as well as three flagpoles displaying the Morrisons logo near the car park entrance (with the exception of the Erskine store which was built as an ASDA before being bought at the last minute by Morrisons), while many former Safeway stores incorporate a triangular "gable end", glass or otherwise, above the entrance (see above picture of store in Consett). History Archeological evidence states that agricultural activity took place within the area as far back as 3000 BC and that it has been inhabited by humans since 1000 BC Asda is a United Kingdom Supermarket chain which retails food clothing and general merchandise Consett (UK Parliament constituency Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Derwentside. This can help differentiate former Safeway stores from purpose built Morrisons stores, although it is often obvious from the internal layout - Morrisons use the entire depth of the store for their fruit and veg section, while Safeway generally used half the depth and then placed chillers in the remaining space.

211 stores are above 25,000 sq ft. A number of Safeway stores retained by Morrisons were between 15,000 sq ft and 25,000 sq ft, with 144 stores currently in this format. These are referred to internally as the 'Choice' format, stores which do not have shopfront-style counter facades, but simply signs proclaiming the name. Morrisons hopes to replace or expand these stores to make room for the full 'Market Street' format in the future. There are also 14 stores under 15,000 sq ft, coming under the same internal sub-brand. [11]

The 'Rump' format are the same size as 'Choice' stores, but just carry the Morrisons outer logo signs, staff uniforms, product lines and IT Systems, while otherwise remaining largely as they did before the takeover of Safeway. Certain items within the stores, such as checkout dividers, car park signs and some internal signage, have simply had the Morrisons logo applied over the Safeway logo and can still clearly be identified as Safeway, whereas all evidence of the old brand has been removed from other stores. These stores are earmarked for divestment or replacement in the very near future [12]. An example can be found in Giffnock, south Glasgow - where Morrisons are currently building a much larger replacement store nearby. Giffnock is an area within East Renfrewshire, Scotland. Giffnock's location within Greater Glasgow effectively makes it a suburb of the city though it Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom

All three formats trade simply as Morrisons, so there is no obvious way to tell them apart unless you know what to look for. A regular Morrisons shopper, used to the company's policy of uniform pricing and stock across all its stores, might notice a smaller product range at a "Choice" or "Rump" store, mainly due to the space constraints.

Marketing and branding

Morrisons products were marketed under two slogans, "More reasons to shop at Morrisons" and "Quality and Value". The more reasons campaign was backed up with separate adverts explaining numbered "reasons". There are usually a large range of special offers in each store. Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of Promotional mix. Until recently the television advertising campaigns for Morrisons had featured the voice of actor Sean Bean but recently this has changed to a middle class and southern English sounding womans voice. Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959 is an English Film and stage Actor. This has now once again changed (see below). They are now fronted by former Liverpool defender and BBC Sport pundit Alan Hansen. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. In Association football (soccer a defender is a player who tries to prevent the other team from scoring Alan David Hansen (born Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 13 June 1955 is a BBC television football pundit and a former

Old Morrisons logo, still widely used.
Old Morrisons logo, still widely used.

On 15 March 2007, following a strategic review, Morrisons announced that it will ditch its traditional branding and strapline in favour of a more modern brand image. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. CEO Marc Bolland announced: "Reflecting our nationwide presence and our many new customers, we will be making Morrisons the food specialist for everyone". [13]

The change will see the replacement of the current logo and the almost equally iconic "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. [14]

On 23 April 2007, Morrisons revealed its new brand identity. Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [15] The logo retains the familiar "M" symbol with its traditional yellow oval and "Morrisons" wording underneath, to preserve recognition, yet presents them in a subtly different style. The second stage of the rebrand will occur in early July and will include the introduction of the new tagline, as well as a new advertising campaign. The first of these adverts will feature Denise Van Outen. Denise van Outen (born May 27 1974, Basildon, Essex) is an English Television presenter and actress.

On 4 June 2007, Morrisons launched their recycling "recyclopedia" for Morrisons packaging [16] which is a new on-pack labelling scheme to help recycle more. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It aims to help increase awareness of what can be recycled and where. The scheme has been welcomed by the national recycling campaign, Recycle Now, and was launched during Recycle Now Week.

On 23 July 2007, Morrisons officially launched their new look website[31] as well as their new advertising campaign. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 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. Denise van Outen (born May 27 1974, Basildon, Essex) is an English Television presenter and actress. She then returns to Morrisons where everything is made freshly on Market Street. The soundtrack for the advert is Take That's hit Shine which is also accompanied by a voiceover by Jim Broadbent. Take That are an English pop Musical group consisting of members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark This article is about a Singapore festival For the annual media awards please see SHINE Awards. James "Jim" Broadbent (born 24 May 1949 is an English Academy Award -winning theatre film and television Actor. [17] 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".

Morrisons in-store advertising has become markedly more aggressive towards competitors - throughout July 2007 sandwich boards comparing prices directly with those of named competitors have appeared which give a favourable impression of Morrison's price levels.

All Morrison's own-brand product packaging is being refreshed with the new logo. The Best's packaging has now changed in colour from black to a dark green, while the Bettabuy brand has been replaced with Morrisons Value, with yellow and green packaging.

Future

From 16 July 2007 Morrisons had started using new "Prepared for You" labels, in a new initiative to inform customers that a lot of the fresh food is prepared in store. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In July and August 2007 the whole of Market Street will be refreshed along with the new logo on till receipts and new badges for staff.

September 2007 will see the exterior logos appear at the stores.

By June 2005, Morrisons had issued five profit warnings since its takeover of Safeway. Sir Ken Morrison stood down as chairman of the operational board, but remained executive chairman of the main board. In July 2005, Morrisons released figures that suggested it may have turned the corner, with a 14% sales increase in converted Safeway stores. The last Safeway stores were converted by 24 November 2005, when the Safeway brand disappeared from the UK. Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [18]

In March 2006, Morrisons launched a three-year 'Optimisation Plan' aimed at cutting costs to ensure future profit recovery. This includes £60m worth of cost savings in distribution and support functions, as well as adapting the smaller 'Choice' format stores below 25,000 sq ft, representing 40% of the store estate, to fit with local demographic and cultures.

As of September 2006, the company's share price has risen above £2. 40. The group turned pre-tax losses of (£82. 1m) in the first half of 2005 into profits of £134. 2m for the same period in 2006. Morrisons attributed this to cost-cutting, better distribution and the opening of its new integrated head office, as well as the completion of the Safeway conversion and divestment programmes. [19]

Like for like sales, excluding fuel, rose 4. 6% in the 25 weeks to 23 July 2006, increasing by a further 1. Events 1632 - Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 3% to 5. 9% in the eight weeks after that despite the chain having closed or sold 66 stores.

On 4 September 2006, Marc Bolland replaced the long-serving 'Morrisons lifer' Bob Stott as Chief Executive. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Sir Ken Morrison remains in his role as Chairman until March 2008.

The New Morrisons at Speke
The New Morrisons at Speke

New store openings

The first store to open in 2007 was Crowborough on 29 January 2007, this was followed by Speke, Liverpool on 9 July 2007. Crowborough is a town in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Speke (pronounced Speak) is an area of the City of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Speke store is first to trial the new logos and uniforms (green bows and ties instead of blue). A second store in York, this one in the city centre itself, was opened. A new store was also opened in Johnstone, Renfrewshire.

A new Morrisons store in Dundee opened on the 29 October spearheaded by Tash Gunter, on the same day the Llanelli store opened. Dundee (Dùn Dèagh is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and fully named as Dundee City, one of Scotland's 32 local government council Llanelli ( English: Church of St Elli) pron, the largest Town in the County of Carmarthenshire, in south-west A new store in Bristol opened on the 12 November and Wednesbury on 26 November 2007. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Wednesbury is a Market town in England 's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

In 2008 Morrisons will open 8 new stores, including Giffnock, Glasgow (replacing a smaller store) (February), Kidderminster (another replacement store), Whitefield, in Bury, Gtr Manchester (September), Granton in Edinburgh, Holyhead in Isle of Anglesey. They are also planning to re-open two smaller former Safeway stores @ Blandford Forum and Northallerton and they have purchased the Somerfield store in Gorleston-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk which will re-open after an extensive refit. It has not announced where the other stores for 2008 will be although several stores are planned for opening in 2009 (Openshaw (Manchester), Westdenton (Newcastle/Tyne)and New Brighton (Wirral). It is replacing an existing store in Rothwell but no date has been published for opening.

Distribution

Morrisons operates a distribution network composed of in-house and third party contractors, the biggest external service provider being DHL Exel Supply Chain. Exel plc is a British based logistics company Its headquarters are in Bracknell, Berkshire, to the west of London. They run a network of regional distribution centres and depots serving stores across the country, include Wakefield J41 Distribution Centre, Gadbrook Park in Northwich, Cheshire, Stockton Distribution Centre, Latimer Park, Corby Distribution Centre and Bellshill Distribution Centre. Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Northwich is a town in Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in North East England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority area and Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. Corby is an industrial town and a local government district located 13km north of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. This article is about the town in North Lanarkshire Scotland For other places of the same name see Bellshill (disambiguation. A new centre was opened in Swindon in 2007 and in Mar 2008, they announced that they were building an advanced centre in Sittingbourne, Kent. They have confirmed that they are looking at two further sites in the West Country to provide an additional centre. It has been reported that they are looking to replace Bellshill with a new centre in Scotland.

Through Wm Morrison Produce Ltd fresh produce, plants and flowers are delivered into temperature controlled warehouses and packing plants in Cheshire, Northampton, Lanarkshire and Yorkshire as well as in Holland, for prompt onward delivery to stores. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. This article is about Northampton in England for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation Northampton ( is a large Market Lanarkshire ( Siorrachd Lannraig in Gaelic) officially the County of Lanark, was formerly a county of Scotland. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of Fruit and veg is mainly supplied by Bos Brothers Fruit and Vegetables BV (owned by Morrisons) located in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands They have purchased the former Gerber Foods site in Bridgewater, Somerset which will provide similar facilies to service stores in the South and West.

Morrisons owns Farmer's Boy food factory (in Bradford), producing pizzas, pies, cooked meats and sausages, as well as packing cheese and bacon for sales in stores, as well as operating two meat processing facilities (Lancashire,(Neerock Limited) and Aberdeen) where beef, pork and lamb are prepared and supplied direct to stores. Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Aberdeen ( pronounced; Aiberdeen Obar Dheathain is Scotland 's third most populous city and one of Scotland's 32 local government council

Woodhouse Bros is owned by Morrisons with the Company operating abattoirs in Lancashire, Aberdeenshire and Lincolnshire. A slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (from the French verb abattre, "to strike down" or freezing works ( New Zealand Because of the vertical integration of its fresh meat operations, Morrisons has been able to confirm in February 2008, that all its future fresh pork, lamb, beef and poultry will be 100% sourced from British farms.

Morrisons also used Holsa Limited to provide some of the companies packaging (company owned).

In 2005 Morrisons purchased part of the collapsed Rathbones Bakeries operation for £15. 5m which make Rathbones and Morrisons bread. Rathbone Kear was initially a joint venture with the former MD of Rathbone's (who held a 20% stake). In March 2008 Morrison announced it had bought out Mr Kear's interests.

The result of all this is a highly vertically integrated company structure - unique amongst the "big four" supermarket chains in the UK.

Retirement of Sir Ken Morrison

The Board of Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC announces that effective from 13th March 2008, Sir Ken Morrison will retire as Chairman and Director of the company. Sir Ian Gibson, currently Deputy Chairman, will succeed him, as non-executive Chairman.

Sir Ian said: “Sir Ken is the outstanding example of a truly great retailer. His achievements in scale and length of service are remarkable. It is a privilege to take the role of Chairman. ”

Sir Ken has accepted the position of Honorary President. In this ambassadorial role, he will continue the strong relationship with employees, communities and shoppers which has characterised his long and distinguished career. [32]

Financial performance

52/3 weeks to Turnover (£'m) Profit/(loss) before tax (£'m) Profit/(loss) after tax (£'m) Annual Report
4 February 2007 12,462 369. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 0 247. 6 [33]
29 January 2006 12,115 (312. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 9) (250. 3) [34]
30 January 2005 12,116 193. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 0 105. 0 [35]
1 February 2004 4,944 319. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " 9 197. 6 [36]
2 February 2003 4,290 282. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 5 186. 3 [37]
3 February 2002 3,915 243. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 0 143. 7
4 February 2001 3,496 219. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. 1 120. 0
29 January 2000 2,969 189. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 2 103. 1

See also

References

  1. ^ Company history - Morrisons
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7180397.stm
  3. ^ http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Report.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.morrisons.co.uk/42.asp
  5. ^ Home - Morrisons
  6. ^ Morrisons set to name next supermarket head - Times Online
  7. ^ The Best - Morrisons
  8. ^ Tesco 'top' in more parts of the UK. The UK Supermarket sector is dominated by Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons which are the only chains which operate full-scale BBC News. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus.
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Gibraltar News Online » Blog Archive » Morrisons point to Cordoba agreement as key element in investment decision
  11. ^ http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Report.pdf
  12. ^ Morrisons-Rapleys :: Home
  13. ^ The Grocer Today - Latest News | www.thegrocer.co.uk
  14. ^ 20/20 rebrands Morrisons - Design Week
  15. ^ http://www.morrisons.co.uk/MOR.pdf]
  16. ^ http://www.morrisons.co.uk/RecyclopaediaFinal.pdf
  17. ^ Corporate news - Morrisons
  18. ^ BBC NEWS | Business | Safeway disappears after 43 years
  19. ^ Morrisons makes return to profit | Business | guardian.co.uk

External links

Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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