Sir Ken Morrison has seen the first public effects of his £3bn Safeway takeover, as two stores have been rebranded under his family name.
Sir Ken, the executive chairman travelled to Ripon in North Yorkshire to open the first new-look store, while a second store also opened in Southport, Merseyside.
The biggest change to Ripon’s former Safeway store will be the introduction of the “Market Street” concept, which is essentially a souped-up fruit and vegetable offering. It gives the group’s supermarkets a point of differentiation against its rivals, and forms the heart of Morrisons’ strong fresh produce offering.
The next conversions at Chester and Bramley are already underway and are planned to open at the end of next week. The total estate will be converted by early 2007 in a plan to convert three stores a week from the summer.
Sir Ken said that he was confident that customers would be attracted by the unique quality and value his stores offered. “The opening of the first converted stores on schedule is the first step in delivering the promises we made to shareholders and other stakeholders when the takeover is completed.”
No comments yet