Morrisons cafe will close “in next few months”

Cost-cutting measures will lead to the closure of the Morrisons café in Warminster.

It is one of 51 cafés set to shut, alongside 18 market kitchens, 17 convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 35 fish counters, and four pharmacies across the country.

Morrisons said that while the significant majority of colleagues affected by these changes are expected to be redeployed in suitable roles elsewhere in the company, around 365 employees nationwide are at risk of redundancy. The Warminster Journal contacted Morrisons to understand how the closures might impact employees in Warminster but was told that specific job loss figures would not be disclosed at this stage.

The supermarket giant said a review “identified a number of areas where the costs of operations are significantly out of line with usage, volumes, or the value that customers place on them.”

Morrisons confirmed the closures will take place over the next few months.

Rami Baitiéh, chief executive of Morrisons, said, “Morrisons cafés are rightly famous for their great quality, well-priced food, their place in the local community, and their appealing mix of traditional favourites alongside exciting new dishes. In most locations, the Morrisons café has a bright future, but a minority have specific local challenges and, in those locations, regrettably, closure and reallocation of the space is the only sensible option.

“In some stores where we are closing counters or cafés, we plan to work with third parties to provide a relevant specialist offer.”