Morrisons to shut 54 cafés next year – full list just revealed

Morrisons will shut 54 in‑store cafés next year, trimming a once‑busy corner of the supermarket as shoppers shift habits and costs bite. The retailer says staff will be offered roles elsewhere, while a full list of locations has been shared with colleagues and posted in affected stores.

I was halfway through a milky tea at the Morrisons café in a rainy market town when the notice board did its quiet work. You know the one: next to the kids’ menu and the “Tea for £1” sign, where coach trips and knit-and-natter groups leave their flyers. A laminated sheet announced the café would close “in the new year,” and conversations rippled from table to table. A grandad pushed away his toastie. A young mum checked the time and the bill. Two staff swapped glances that said far more than the words underneath the smiles. We’ve all had that moment when a place that felt small and solid suddenly feels temporary. Then the poster went up.

Why 54 cafés are closing — and what that really looks like on the ground

Walk into any Morrisons café on a weekday morning and you’ll feel the rhythm: bacon rolls, pensioners’ specials, the clatter of trays and a gentle, unhurried hum. **Taking away 54 of these spaces isn’t just a line in a press release — it’s a shift in how we shop, rest and meet between the aisles.** Morrisons says the closures focus on sites with consistently low footfall or where kitchen refits no longer stack up. Rising energy, staffing and ingredient costs have nudged the sums. The chain has been trialling alternative formats — from branded concessions to quick‑serve counters — to fit how people now grab coffee and go.

Numbers tell their own story. Café revenue across UK supermarkets has been squeezed by home‑coffee machines, grab‑and‑go bakeries and high‑street chains muscling into retail parks. In retail speak, dwell time is drifting from trays to trolleys. One store manager in the North West described a simple pattern: busy lunch peaks on payday weekends, thin weekdays that never quite recovered after the pandemic. *What looks like a handful of empty tables adds up to a refurb you can’t justify, ovens that sit cold for hours, and staff on shifts the budget can’t support.* Multiply that by dozens of branches and the strategy hardens.

There’s a human map behind the corporate map. A café might break even in summer but slump in February. A school run might fill 20 minutes at 8:45, then nothing until 11. Those in‑between minutes define viability. Morrisons’ logic is that in locations where coffee and cooked breakfasts no longer anchor footfall, switching to smaller seating, a partner brand or extended deli and bakery space can lift overall trade. It’s a bet that a leaner, mixed model will keep prices keen, free up staff, and match quicker shopping patterns. People still want a sit‑down — just not everywhere, and not all day.

What to do if your local Morrisons café is on the list

Start with timing. Notices in affected stores outline the planned closure window, and staff are briefed to answer immediate questions about final service days. If you’ve got a café stamp card, ask how and when you can redeem remaining stamps. Gift cards typically work across Morrisons, not just the café, so you should be able to use any balance elsewhere in‑store. If you’re part of a regular group — chess club, carers’ catch‑up, the Tuesday walkers — speak to the duty manager now. Many stores are earmarking a quiet seating corner near the bakery or using community room space so social meet‑ups don’t vanish with the café sign.

Jobs matter most. Morrisons says team members will be offered roles in other departments or neighbouring stores where possible, and many café skills translate directly to deli, bakery, front‑of‑house and click‑and‑collect. If you’re affected, ask about redeployment pathways, guaranteed interview options and training credits to move across counters. Keep your More Card handy, too. Temporary promos sometimes appear when formats change — bakery deals, meal‑deal upgrades, hot counter trials. Let’s be honest: nobody actually does that every day. But a few smart swaps ease the change, and you might find a better routine than you expect.

The small stuff helps people feel seen. If your café is closing, look for a handover notice explaining where to find alternatives nearby — both within Morrisons and on the high street. A store that points you towards the next warm cup wins trust it can use later. As one long‑serving café supervisor told me:

“We’re not just serving tea. We’re holding space — for quiet, for company, for the everyday. If that space moves, we’ll help people move with it.”

• Check closure dates and last‑order times posted at the café entrance.
• Redeem café loyalty stamps before the final week to avoid queues.
• Ask about staff redeployment and training options during your next visit.
• Look out for pop‑up seating or partner concessions replacing the café.
• Use your More Card to catch bakery and hot‑food promos after changes.

What this says about British shopping — and what might come next

Retail cafés were once the soft heart of the big weekly shop: a pause before the trolley, a treat after. The closures don’t erase that idea, but they shrink it, and relocate it where the math works. Expect a patchwork to emerge: some Morrisons with full cafés, some with compact seating and premium coffee pods, some with branded partners that trade longer hours and shorter menus. **In places where the community function matters most — towns with fewer third‑space options, or stores near bus hubs — watch for managers carving out a modest, warm corner rather than abandoning sit‑down altogether.** The British high street is editing itself. We’ll still meet over tea. We’ll just do it in fewer rooms, with different signs over the door.

FAQ :

• Which Morrisons cafés are on the closure list?The supermarket has shared a list with affected stores and staff, and is posting notices in‑store. Check your local branch’s customer service desk or notice board for the most accurate, up‑to‑date information.
• When will the closures happen?Closures are scheduled across next year in phases, with each store setting a final service date. Most will give several weeks’ notice on posters by the café entrance.
• What happens to my café loyalty stamps or vouchers?Stamps are usually redeemable up to the final week of service. Café‑specific vouchers will have a validity date; broader gift cards typically work across Morrisons, including bakery and hot food counters.
• Will there be a replacement in my store?Some sites will switch to smaller seating, a branded partner or expanded bakery/hot counter. Ask the duty manager or look for planning notices on the community board for what’s coming next.
• Can café staff keep their jobs?Morrisons says it aims to redeploy colleagues where possible, with training to move into other departments. If you’re a staff member, speak to your manager about available roles and timelines.

Places like supermarket cafés carry more weight than their margins admit. They’re where grandparents celebrate tiny wins, builders thaw out with a brew, parents find ten quiet minutes between the school run and the big shop. **When 54 of those spots fade, it won’t be noticed on a single day, but across many small, ordinary ones.** The smart stores will keep a corner for that ordinary magic — a plug socket, a sturdy mug, a nod from someone who remembers your biscuit. Shoppers will adapt rituals and routes; staff will carry their knowing kindness into new roles; managers will try new formats until one sticks. The list may be fixed, but the story isn’t. Change always feels abrupt in the poster moment. It grows gentler when people talk, and when the next warm seat appears just where you need it.