Across Britain, supermarket aisles are changing as one of the nation’s oldest grocers reshapes its network. Cafés, flower shops, in-store kitchens, and small convenience outlets are closing. Morrisons wants to invest where shoppers see real value. Some neighborhoods will lose familiar hangouts they’ve grown used to. Others might get shiny new upgrades and fresh concepts. According to Morrisons, this isn’t about cutting back. It’s a refresh to stay sharp and keep customers front and center.
Renewal plans and café closures across Morrisons
Chief executive Rami Baitieh described the shake-up as a “necessary part” of the plan to “renew and reinvigorate” the business. In total, 52 cafés, all 18 Market Kitchens, 17 Morrisons Daily stores, 13 florists, 35 meat and 35 fish counters, and four pharmacies are closing.
He said the company remains committed to its Market Street model, which serves fresh pizzas, pies and rotisserie chicken, but that parts of it are “simply uneconomic.” Some spaces may be replaced by specialist partners.
Cafés closing or closed include:
• Bradford Thornbury
• Paisley Falside Road
• London Queensbury
• Portsmouth
• Great Park
• Banchory North Deeside Road
• Failsworth Poplar Street
• Blackburn Railway Road
• Leeds Swinnow Road
• London Wood Green
• Kirkham Poulton Street
• Lutterworth Bitteswell Road
• Stirchley
• Leeds Horsforth
• London Erith
• Crowborough
• Bellshill John Street
• Dumbarton Glasgow Road
• East Kilbride Lindsayfield and Stewartfield
• Glasgow Newlands
• Largs Irvine Road
• Troon Academy Street
• Wishaw Kirk Road
• Newcastle UT Cowgate
• Northampton Kettering Road
• Bromsgrove Buntsford Industrial Park
• Solihull Warwick Road
• Brecon Free Street
• Caernarfon North Road
• Hadleigh
• London Harrow Hatch End
• High Wycombe Temple End
• Leighton Buzzard Lake Street
• London Stratford
• Sidcup Westwood Lane
• Welwyn Garden City Black Fan Road
• Warminster Weymouth Street
• Oxted Station Yard
• Reigate Bell Street
• Borehamwood / Weybridge Monument Hill
• Bathgate
• Erskine Bridgewater Shopping Centre
• Gorleston Blackwell Road
• Connah’s Quay
• Mansfield Woodhouse
• Elland
• Gloucester Metz Way
• Watford Ascot Road
• Littlehampton Wick
• Helensburgh
Supporting staff and simplifying the store experience
With around 95,000 employees nationwide, the retailer emphasises that while the number of closures is modest relative to its size, the human impact is not overlooked. “We will take particular care to look after all of them well,” Baitieh said.
In most sites, cafés and counters will continue under new partnerships. Some areas will transform into grab-and-go food points or quicker-service concessions. This, Morrisons argues, helps adapt each store to local demand while maintaining quality and community feel.
Florists closing include:
• Aberdeen King Street
• Bradford Enterprise 5
• Canning Town London
• Evesham Four Pool Estate
• Newcastle Under Lyme Goose Street
• Rubery Bristol Road South
• Sheffield Meadowhead
• Sheldon Birmingham
• St Albans Hatfield Road
• St Helens Boundary Road
• Stirchley Birmingham
• Sunderland Doxford Park
• Swinton Hall Road
Market Kitchens and their replacements
Market Kitchens, spaces once seen as the chain’s innovation hubs, are closing in all 18 locations. While many offered freshly prepared hot food, others struggled to reach sustainable volumes. These closures will allow reinvestment into faster, simpler, higher-value formats.
In select towns, new partners may replace the kitchens, providing specialist deli or coffee offers that fit local habits. Staff at affected sites are being reassigned where possible.
Market Kitchens closing include:
• Aberdeen King Street
• Basingstoke Thorneycroft
• Brentford Waterside
• Camden Town London
• Canning Town London
• Cheltenham Up Hatherley
• Eccles Irwell Place Greater Manchester
• Edgbaston Birmingham
• Gravesend Coldharbour Road
• Kirkby Merseyside
• Leeds Kirkstall
• Lincoln Triton Road
• Little Clacton Centenary Way
• Milton Keynes Westcroft
• Nottingham Netherfield
• Stoke Festival Park
• Tynemouth Preston Grange North Shields
• Verwood Dorset
Pharmacies, convenience stores and regional timing
Four in-store pharmacies are also set to close, a move that consolidates pharmacy services in busier branches. According to Kantar, Morrisons remains the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket, but competition has intensified with discounters and online players reshaping customer expectations.
Pharmacies closing include:
• Birmingham Small Heath
• Blackburn Railway Road
• Bradford Victoria
• London Wood Green
Convenience formats under the Morrisons Daily banner are also affected. Seventeen locations have already shut, most on April 16 and one on May 14 this year.
Morrisons Daily stores already closed:
• Gorleston Lowestoft Road Norfolk – April 16
• Peebles Old Town Scottish Borders – April 16
• Shenfield Hutton Road Essex – April 16
• Poole Waterloo Estate Dorset – April 16
• Tonbridge Higham Lane Kent – April 16
• Romsey The Cornmarket Hampshire – April 16
• Stewarton Lainshaw Street East Ayrshire – April 16
• Selsdon Featherbed Lane Greater London – April 16
• Great Barr Queslett Road West Midlands – April 16
• Whichham Oakfield Road Tyne & Wear – April 16
• Worle Queensway Somerset – April 16
• Goring-By-Sea Strand Parade West Sussex – April 16
• Woking Westfield Road Surrey – April 16
• Wokingham Peach Street Berkshire – April 16
• Exeter Sidwell Street Devon – April 16
• Bath Moorland Road Somerset – April 16
• Haxby The Village North Yorkshire – May 14
Balancing progress and local identity
Change often feels unsettling, yet adaptation defines retail survival. Industry analysts note that these closures will free resources for store modernisation, energy efficiency, and sharper pricing. Many sites will soon host third-party food or drink operators to maintain variety. The guiding idea is efficiency without erasing local identity.
By aligning each branch with real customer use, Morrisons aims to improve overall performance while ensuring that value and freshness remain its signature strengths. Local managers will continue updating communities as transformation projects roll out.
How targeted closures could enhance future shopping experiences
There’s a bigger picture unfolding quietly in the background, one that’s meant to carry the chain through the next ten years. Morrisons aims for something leaner and sustainable by eliminating expense-generating items, leaning on partnerships, and nudging staff through the changes. Sure, you could come in one day and the café you love to drop into is gone, but now it is a better shopping journey, a reminder that even the tough stuff signals a return to core customer values: great prices, great food, and getting those customers to keep coming back.