Convenience store McColl’s is closing in Swanage in Dorset – but the shop is to reopen as a mini Morrisons supermarket with a promise to deliver value.
Morrisons Daily will open for business on Friday 6th October 2023 with a focus on fresh food, fruit and vegetables, and will include Morrisons own brand convenience foods which it claims come without inflated convenience store prices.
How Swanage’s new shop might look – one of the new Morrisons Daily stores
Morrisons rescued McColl’s in May 2022
McColl’s collapsed into administration in May 2022, but was rescued by Morrisons in a £190 million takeover bid.
Under a previous agreement with Morrisons it already had 286 sites trading under the Morrisons Daily name.
Although Morrisons decided to close 132 loss-making McColl’s stores and relocate McColl’s head office in Brentwood to Morrisons’ head office in Bradford, the buyout still saved about 14,000 jobs, including those in Swanage.
The countdown has begun – Swanage’s new Morrisons Daily opens on Friday 6th October 2023
A complete redesign has been promised both inside and outside the store in Institute Road, which has already cleared many of its shelves in preparation for the refit
Value range items
The supermarket chain says it is looking to capitalise on the strength of the convenience store sector in the UK, which took off during Covid lockdowns and has continued to perform strongly since.
In July 2023, Morrisons Daily expanded the range of budget products in its stores from 10 to 40, adding items like eggs, ham, fruit juice, butter, cheese and mince to existing value range items including washing up liquid, toilet rolls, peppers and sausages.
The supermarket has also reduced the price of 18 popular products in Morrisons Daily stores, including its own label two pint and four pint milk bottles.
Morrisons’ chief executive officer David Potts has promised value for money prices in its Morrisons Daily stores
Offering Swanage shoppers an extra choice
Although no precise details have yet been revealed about the Swanage store in Institute Road, McColl’s stores elsewhere which have already been converted have included alcohol, ready meals, frozen goods, a range of cleaning products, basic medicines and Costa Coffee stands.
Crucially, the new store will offer Swanage shoppers a third supermarket brand to choose from alongside the Co-op and Budgens.
Fresh fruit and vegetables will be at the heart of the new Swanage store
“Fresh food at the heart of new store”
A spokesperson for Morrisons said:
“The new Morrisons Daily fresh food convenience store will offer customers a carefully tailored mix of Morrisons own brand products alongside branded favourites.
“As well as new ranges, the store will receive a complete redesign internally and externally incorporating Morrisons’ bright, modern branding.
“Fresh food will be at the heart of the new Swanage store and we hope customers will love it.”
Here’s one we prepared earlier – a Midlands McColl’s which has already become a Morrisons Daily
Further information
- Check out Morrisons fruit and veg recipes while you wait for the Daily store to open
