Morrisons set to close three stores in West Midlands
SUPERMARKET group Morrisons is to close three unprofitable stores in the West Midlands as the struggling group looks to reinforce its position in the marketplace.
Stores in West Bromwich, Donnington (Telford) and Rugby are all on the company’s hit list.
The announcement comes days after the supermarket group dumped chief executive Dalton Philips, saying it needed a new approach after his five-year tenure in charge. He will leave at the end of March.
Andrew Higginson, former chairman of Black Country discount retailer Poundland, was due to take over as chairman of Morrisons later this year but his appointment will now be brought forward.
The announcement also coincides with the publication of the latest Begbies Traynor Red Flag Alert (see next story) which has suggested that more than 100 food suppliers around the UK could be forced to shut down because of the ongoing supermarket price war.
In West Bromwich, Morrisons is understood to have begun a 90-day consultation with staff on the proposed closure of the town centre store.
It is understood the company will try and minimise the impact of the store closures by offering staff affected roles in other stores nearby.
Nevertheless, around the UK hundreds of people are still likely to lose their jobs.
The move comes just a week after market leader Tesco revealed it would be closing 43 stores around the UK and shelving plans for new stores including two in Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
