McColl’s store in Harrogate set to close

A McColl’s in Harrogate is among more than 100 of the convenience stores set to close.

The news comes after Morrisons completed the acquisition of McColl’s from administration last week.

Morrisons said in a statement it now plans to close 132 McColl’s, including the Otley Road store at Harlow Chase. About 1,300 jobs nationally are at risk.

The Stray Ferret visited the Otley Road shop this afternoon and was told it was still trading for the time being. The member of staff said she was the only person employed there and was awaiting further details.

There are currently 1,164 McColl’s stores trading, 286 of which are Morrisons Dailys.

The company said it planned to convert “the substantial majority” of McColl’s stores to Morrisons Dailys within the next two to three years but it plans to sell 28 stores and close 132 others.

It said:

“A number of McColl’s stores have been loss-making for some time and although some of these stores will be able to return to profitability over time, there are 132 stores where there is no realistic prospect of achieving a breakeven position in the medium term.

“The majority of these 132 stores will now be closed in an orderly fashion over the remainder of the year.

“Regrettably this means that around 1,300 McColl’s colleagues will be placed at risk of redundancy. Every affected colleague however will be offered alternative employment at a nearby McColl’s store, Morrisons store, logistics operation or foodmaking centre.”

Of the 132 stores to close, 55 include a Post Office counter. Morrisons will delay the closure of these stores until next year to allow them to serve communities over Christmas.

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