Morrisons slammed for Safeway closures

by James Quilter, Marketing 14-Dec-05

Morrisons has come under fire for closing down nearly 20 supermarkets during its conversion of the 479 Safeway stores it bought in 2003.

Since Morrisons' acquisition of Safeway was given the green light, it
has sold off about 200 stores to rivals including Tesco and
Waitrose.

It has also closed 19 smaller stores it could not sell to other

retailers and did not fit with its offer because of their size or

location.

The closures have attracted criticism from local authorities and
consumer groups for their effects on surrounding communities.

One of the stores to be closed is in Tower Hamlets, East London. Tower
Hamlets' council leader, Michael Keith, said the local community -
particularly the elderly - had relied on the store.

The council organised a petition, but failed to convince Morrisons to
keep the store open.

The closures have also been slated by left-wing think-tank the New
Economics Foundation (NEF), which accused the retailer of restricting
consumer choice and exerting its dominance to the detriment of the
community and local business.

Morrisons said the decision to close some Safeway stores had been taken
for many reasons, including their location and 'the long-term shape of
the business'.