Morrisons stores to stay open for longer in Shropshire
Two Shropshire branches of Morrisons are among a number around the country that will open for longer under plans revealed by the supermarket giant to combat falling sales.
Some stores will open as early as 6am, and others will continue trading until 11pm, as the firm attempts to shrug off the challenge of low-cost rivals Aldi and Lidl, and to grow its market share after recent struggles saw it make an annual loss of £176 million for the year to February 2.
The new opening hours were introduced yesterday, and will see the store in Wellington open for an hour later, until 10pm, and its Oswestry branch open an hour earlier, at 7am.
The move comes as the ongoing battle of the big supermarkets stepped up a gear after a price comparison test showed Lidl to be 15 per cent cheaper than Morrisons.
The total cost of a Lidl shopping basket came to £49.23 for 33 items – £8.60 less than Morrisons, according to a report by trade magazine The Grocer. It was also more than £10 cheaper than Asda, which has been cheapest of the major stores in the survey in each of the past 17 years.
Tesco's shopping basket came to £63.73, only slightly less expensive than Sainsbury's £64.50 total. Waitrose came last in the price survey with a basket costing £71.84 – a hefty £22.61 more than Lidl.
Yesterday the company cut the price of milk to £1 for four pints – a reduction of 39p – to match its rivals.
National Farmers' Union dairy board chairman Rob Harrison said: "We recognise the incredibly competitive environment that the retailers are operating in, however it is vital that products such as milk are not devalued."
Morrisons spokeswoman Harriet Rogers said research shows that more people were now shopping before 9am and after 8pm.
It means Morrisons stores will be open for 1,600 more hours per week in total.
The chain suffered a 7.1 per cent fall in sales in its last quarter and made an annual loss of £176 million for the year to February 2.
In June it announced it was slashing 2,600 jobs as part of a drive to modernise the way its stores are managed.
The Bradford-based firm has also said it is investing £1 billion over three years as it cuts prices to compete, while it is also belatedly rolling out its online food offer this year, years after its main competitors entered the market.
It is also redesigning the layout of 277 shops, and refurbishing store cafes and toilet facilities. Morrisons is also modernising its IT system so that shelves are automatically replenished and staff no longer have to order goods with a pen and paper.