Yet another rant at Morrisons

[cwathen]

Morrisons said the sale of its Northern Ireland stores was "in line with the company's strategy of concentrating on its mainland UK network".

Wouldn't read too much into this though, the 'company's strategy' over what to do with the Safeway stores it now owns has changed at least 3 times since the takeover last year. The real company strategy seems to be 'attribute any potential opportunity for bad press to actually being implementation of company strategy'.

I think it may have now dawned on WM that he's actually bitten off a bit more than he can chew in buying out Safeways - his business isn't really big enough to support all the stores he owns, hence the selloff, used to prop up the remaining stores which in some areas (mainly those who have never had Morrisons before) are being deserted in droves as the quality of products has nosedived inside 12 months).

If Morrisson didn't want all the small and offshore stores, why did he buy Safeway??

The question of HOW he bought Safeway still hasn't got round my mind yet.

[tillyoshea]

There's a fantastic article about Morrisons in today's Guardian, including this fun quote:

At the time of the fourth [profit warning], just two weeks ago, the company admitted that it had almost no idea how much money it was making or losing and that its finance department - without a boss since the second profit warning in February - was "not quite up to the task", mainly because it had made too many Safeway staff redundant.

[James Martin]

Safeway in coventry is currently being converted, massive extention, and planned to be finnished for Christmas 2005, it still has the old sign, but the petrol station has converted. It looks complete chaos, not been in as of yet though.

Are they keeping the existing Morrisons store near TGI Friday's (just off the A46) or is that being canned?

[ClerkByron]

I think what has happened to Safeways is nothing short of tragic. It was my favourite supermarket chain until Morrisons stepped in. And lost no time in trashing it all up. You don't see all the Asdas in the country changing to Walmarts do you? And the general arrogance of Sir Ken makes me sick too. I really feel sorry for people who worked in converted Safeways. Fortunately in Scotland many stores were taken over by Somerfields. In my opinion this is the best case scenario ie, the reign of Moronson there was shortlived!

My local Morrisons still has the nice, fresh looking Safeway logo outside but inside it's all yellow and old fashioned. It's not just the design I hate about it (sorry to go off-topic) but they have also taken away a lot of products and the ones they have kept have gone up in price! I've done exactly the same thing as you, and now go to Tesco down the road for my shopping because I just can't stand Morrisons.

You're not referring to the Morningside ... like now.

[ClerkByron]

Because he's a self-obsessed tosser?

[James Martin]

I really feel sorry for people who worked in converted Safeways.

Have many of them actually stayed on?

[Gavin Scott]

I really feel sorry for people who worked in converted Safeways.

Have many of them actually stayed on?

Most if not all I shouldn't wonder.

I know the Morningside Road one, but haven't been in since it changed.

[marksi]

A Morrisons lorry was delivering goods this morning to a Safeway-branded store near me which has been sold to Asda.

Now THAT'S confused branding.

[jay]

Something I've always wondered in the world of branding - why does it take huge companies YEARS to change things when they have a rebrand?

I only know this from working at Tesco - I don't study supermarkets for hours on end - but the 'Every Little Helps' slogan on all of the current POS on shelves in all stores across the country are still in the old style:


Whereas the new style has been around for a couple of years:


I also noticed on the side of a product packiging box the other day that the OLD tesco logo was on the side!

What's going on?!

[nwtv2003]

Morrisons can be an example of using some old branding whilst using new branding. Any store thats been open for more than 10 years will have most of the aisle signs with the very old tacky font, where as all stores that opened after 2004 have the new font all over the place.

At our store upstairs we have at least a couple of very old signs saying "It's Nice to Be Important, But it's more Important to be nice" with the old 'M' man logo thing! Even the very small carrier bags (for meat and VHS's) even had the old 'M' man thing until last year!

The in-store radio promos thats something too, all of the current promos for products all have the new music, where as the keep guard of your handbags promo uses the old music on the adverts they introduced about 4 or 5 years ago.

Though the 'M' logo hasn't changed in about 500 years I don't think Ken Morrison gives a shite either way.

[jay]

Most POS doesn't have the slogan, but customer information talkers (the blue and red ones) often have the old-style script slogan because there are just so many of them still to be displayed.

Stores which were "refreshed" after summer 2002 should have the newer-style slogan (along with capital letters and larger hoarding above aisles and on gantries); those before 2002 will have the older style.


I suppose the reason is there are a thousand Tesco stores and it seems a waste of money to scrap items which still display the same slogan, only in a different way; most customers, remember, wouldn't be able to tell you the difference.

My store opened 1st November 2004 - and still has the old style on Customer Information talkers and on the price check scanners. Everything else is the new style: this is what i mean by inconsistant!