What Morrisons does

Morrisons (Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC) is the UK's fifth-largest grocery retailer, operating approximately 500 supermarkets and a growing franchised Morrisons Daily convenience network under private equity owner Clayton Dubilier & Rice, which acquired the business in a £10bn leveraged buyout in October 2021. The group serves broad UK consumer demand for groceries, fresh food, household goods, and an expanding set of adjacent services including in-store pharmacy, online delivery via Morrisons Now, quick commerce through Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, travel booking via Expedia, and JD.com's Joybuy and JoyExpress platforms. Morrisons employs around 96,000 people across stores, manufacturing sites and its Bradford head office.

The business is differentiated by a vertically integrated farm-to-fork model, with direct sourcing from over 2,500 British farmers, owned manufacturing through Myton Foods, and Market Street counters manned by 1,200 trained butchers. Approximately 80% of the store estate is freehold, providing a substantial real estate base that the current owners are monetising via sale-and-leaseback and a potential £1bn property financing arrangement. Technology and data investments include Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM for workforce management, NCR Voyix retail checkout systems, an extended five-year partnership with TCS for automation and a Business Intelligent Command Centre, AI-powered Caper Carts trialled at the Riversway store, and Google Gemini AI integration for in-store product location.

Morrisons makes money predominantly through one-time supermarket retail sales (Q2 2026 total sales of £4bn, Q1 2026 £4.1bn, with 14 consecutive quarters of like-for-like growth), supplemented by subscription-like online delivery, franchise commission on Morrisons Daily, affiliate referral economics from the Expedia travel partnership, advertising through the Morrisons retail media network, and a More Card loyalty programme of 8 million active users driving personalised promotions such as 10% back on £250 spend. Headline pricing is built around a price investment strategy to compete with Aldi and Lidl, complemented by heavy seasonal promotional activity (Easter vegetables from 4p, £10 football feast for four, £15 Valentine's meal deal) and a focus on fresh and British-sourced product as the core differentiator.

Name

Morrisons

Legal name

Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC

Website

https://morrisons-corporate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Morrisons is the UK's fifth-largest grocery retailer, operating around 500 supermarkets, a franchised convenience network, online delivery, and adjacent travel and pharmacy services for UK consumers under private equity owner Clayton Dubilier & Rice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supermarket Grocery Retail

NAICS

Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Grocery and Convenience Retailers (4451)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Line Supermarkets (National/Regional Chains) (CRAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supermarket Operators with In-Store Foodservice/Prepared Foods Focus (CRAHAAAJ), General Online Grocery (Full-Basket) (CRAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Supermarket retail
• Grocery operations
• Fresh food production
• Convenience stores
• Online grocery delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Supermarket Retail Sales: Core revenue from physical supermarket operations selling groceries, fresh food, household goods across ~500 Morrisons stores in the UK. Marks 14th consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth with Q2 2026 LFL sales up 2.2% and total sales up 1.7% to £4 billion.
2. Online Grocery Delivery: Morrisons Now online delivery service showing double-digit sales growth. Partnership with Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats for rapid delivery expanding product choice and operating hours.
3. In-Store Pharmacy: Morrisons operates 120 pharmacies across stores. Plans to sell dozens of pharmacies on store-by-store basis as part of financial sustainability review.
4. Travel Services: Morrisons Travel service launched in partnership with Expedia Group, offering global travel bookings that reward customers with points for future discounts.
5. Convenience Store Franchising: Morrisons Daily franchise model expanding with 52 new stores opened in H1 2026. Closing ~100 loss-making stores while growing franchise network. Formerly acquired through £190m McColl's rescue deal in 2022.
6. Retail Media Advertising: Brands allocate budget across Morrisons retail media network alongside Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's. Growing brand investment in UK retail media.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Morrisons operates a UK supermarket chain selling groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery and household essentials through approximately 500 physical supermarket stores, supplemented by the Morrisons Daily convenience franchise, online delivery (Morrisons Now), quick commerce partnerships, in-store pharmacies, and Morrisons Travel booking service. The company is vertically integrated through Myton Foods manufacturing and direct relationships with over 2,500 British farmers, supporting its Market Street fresh food counters.

Product overview

Morrisons is a UK supermarket chain operating a multi-channel retail offering. Its core product is physical supermarket stores offering groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy and household essentials. The company complements its physical retail with online delivery services (Morrisons Now), a loyalty programme (Morrisons More Card), and a convenience store format (Morrisons Daily). Recent technology initiatives include AI-powered Caper Carts for smart shopping and Morrisons Travel, a new travel booking service in partnership with Expedia Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Morrisons More: Customer loyalty programme offering points and discounts to shoppers
• Nourish
• Plant Revolution
• Growing British Brands
• Local Foodmakers

Products and services

• Morrisons Supermarkets Full-service UK supermarket chain offering groceries, fresh produce, meat, dairy, bakery, household essentials and Market Street fresh food counters through physical retail locations nationwide.
• Morrisons Daily Convenience store format franchised across the UK, originally acquired through McColl's rescue deal, providing neighbourhood grocery shopping with plans for hundreds more franchise locations.
• Morrisons Now Proprietary online grocery delivery service fulfilling online orders from large format stores, showing double-digit sales growth with expanded product ranges.
• Morrisons More Card Customer loyalty programme offering personalised rewards, exclusive discounts, points accumulation and promotional offers to UK grocery shoppers.
• Morrisons Travel Travel booking service launched in partnership with Expedia Group, offering global travel deals with rewards points that can be redeemed for future Morrisons discounts.
• In-Store Pharmacy Pharmacy services operating within 120 Morrisons supermarket locations across the UK, providing prescription dispensing and over-the-counter medicines.
• Applied Nutrition High-Protein GLP-1 Range Exclusive high-protein GLP-1 focused meal range including ready meals, salads, pizzas and ice cream, launched in January 2026 via exclusive Applied Nutrition licensing deal across 400 UK stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 consecutive quarters of like-for-like sales growth
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JD.com / JoybuyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Chinese retailer Jingdong (JD.com) launched Joybuy online supermarket platform in UK in partnership with Morrisons. Selling Morrisons own-brand items alongside major brands including Apple, Nutella and Cadbury.
• Fabric SocialminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Appointed as social media agency replacing previous incumbent Leo UK which retained the creative account.
• JD Logistics / JoyExpressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 February 2026JD.com launched JoyExpress same-day delivery service in UK with partnership with Morrisons for fresh produce and home essentials. Over 100,000 branded products from 60+ warehouses across Europe.
• Expedia GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Morrisons Travel service launched in partnership with Expedia Group offering UK customers global travel deals with rewards points earning for future Morrisons discounts. Earn More points on bookings.
• Applied NutritioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Three-year exclusive agreement for Applied Nutrition branded meals and food products. Morrisons launched 53 high-protein, GLP-1 focused meal products across 400 UK stores in January 2026. First supermarket-exclusive weight-management-friendly meals range in UK.
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025Extended five-year partnership to support digital transformation. Establishing Automation Factory and Business Intelligent Command Centre to improve operational insights and deliver personalised digital services.
• Bauer Media OutdoorminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Seven-year partnership starting Q1 2026 for 300 digital screens across Morrisons supermarkets. New digital network enables targeted, programmatic advertising at store entrances expanding BMO's retail DOOH footprint.
• NCR VoyixcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2025Morrisons transformed shopping experience with NCR Voyix retail solutions. Rolling out new checkout machines across all UK stores as part of nationwide refresh beginning May 2025.
• GopuffminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 February 2025Trial using Morrisons supermarkets as daytime dark stores to fulfil online orders. Gopuff using Morrisons locations for rapid delivery operations.
• Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK quick commerce partnerships expanding offerings through aggregators. Implementing loyalty schemes, extending operating hours and expanding product ranges to address consumer barriers around cost and selection.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationMigrated HR systems to Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM to improve workforce management and reduce administrative costs. Cloud transition enables self-service on any device with plans for enhanced automation and AI integration.
• Arla, Müller, Saputo (Dairy Processors)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor dairy processors named alongside Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi and Asda as benefiting from record profits while many farmers face squeezed margins. Part of supply chain facing scrutiny over 'battery cattle' farm practices.
• The E-Cig StoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStore concession agreement with vape retailer The E-Cig Store for in-store presence across Morrisons locations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Asda: Asda is the UK's third-largest supermarket and a direct mid-market competitor to Morrisons following its 2020 Issa Brothers / TDR Capital buyout. Overlap with Morrisons is strongest on price-led full-basket grocery and increasingly in convenience.
• Sainsbury's: Sainsbury's is the UK's second-largest supermarket with comparable full-line grocery, online (SmartShop) and convenience (Local) formats. It competes directly with Morrisons on fresh food credentials, Nectar loyalty and premium-tier positioning.
• Tesco: Tesco is the UK's largest supermarket chain and Morrisons' closest direct competitor, operating a similarly broad full-line grocery model across ~4,000 UK stores plus online. Both compete head-to-head on price, loyalty (Clubcard vs More Card) and own-brand ranges.
• Aldi UK: Aldi UK is the leading hard-discount grocer in Britain and a direct competitor on price, the principal driver cited for Morrisons' price-investment strategy. Aldi's rapid estate expansion makes it a structural threat to Morrisons' core customer base.
• Lidl GB: Lidl's UK operation has overtaken Morrisons to become the UK's fifth-largest grocer and is the primary source of Morrisons' market-share erosion. It is a direct peer in standard grocery SKUs but with a hard-discount operating model that contrasts with Morrisons' vertically integrated fresh-led proposition.

Emerging players

• Ocado Retail: Ocado Retail is the UK online-grocery joint venture with Marks & Spencer and a benchmark for online grocery execution. It is a partial peer to Morrisons' Morrisons Now online service and quick-commerce partnerships, particularly on last-mile economics and basket size.
• Co-op Food: The Co-operative Group's food division operates a significant UK convenience and mid-sized store estate. It is a partial peer given the convenience overlap with Morrisons Daily and similar community-store positioning.
• Iceland: Iceland is a UK frozen-food specialist with adjacent convenience and online grocery operations. It overlaps with Morrisons in value-led grocery and meal solutions but is narrower in category focus.

Broad incumbents

• Marks & Spencer (Food): M&S Food is a UK grocer with strong fresh, prepared and own-brand credentials that competes with Morrisons' Market Street counters. While part of a broader general merchandise retailer, its food division is large enough to be a comparable peer for fresh-led and convenience formats.
• Waitrose: Waitrose is the John Lewis Partnership's premium supermarket banner, competing with Morrisons at the upper end of fresh and own-brand quality. It is a comparable full-line grocer but with a sharper premium positioning and smaller footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/morrisons
• Facebookfacebook.com/Morrisons

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Morrisons