Metropol

nodnirG kraM wrote:Our local Sainsbury's had kiddies' trolleys too, James.

If I just quote you, presumably I can't get into trouble for using the five letter word.

I agree this time. Five letters is, probably, about right.

I don't remember appointing anyone by the name of Cobin.

I remember those little kiddies trollies, they got rid of them at some point in the early 90s. They also had them where my mum worked in Center Parcs, they got rid of them because they kept getting nicked.

The Very Rev Cobin wrote:Does this mean nobody in the Morrison family is taking the role?

It's looking like that, I think Sir Ken will probably be on the Board, but he's retiring from day to day operations, he's about 75 or so now, so I'm not surprised he didn't do it sooner.

The refit/revamp in the Stoke-on-Trent Morrisons has just about been finished. Went inside today when I was down in the area. New logo on the tower outside along with old yellow signage on the side of the building and the tacky black and yellow petrol station which has remained unchanged.

Inside it's rather quite nice now - brighter lighting, bigger entertainment section, HSBC bank has gone from the corner of the shop, freshly made sandwiches, new cleaner looking salad bar and a "concept" health and beauty section with all angular aisles - nice to look at but takes up a hell of a lot of room.

Aside from that, not much else has changed in there - the oven fresh counter still looks dingy as does the pie shop counter and the cafe still looks naff.


My local ex-safeway Morrisons in Leek is apparently getting a massive extension onto the car park soon - god knows where the cars are going to park though

AJ wrote:The refit/revamp in the Stoke-on-Trent Morrisons has just about been finished. Went inside today when I was down in the area. New logo on the tower outside along with old yellow signage on the side of the building and the tacky black and yellow petrol station which has remained unchanged.

Inside it's rather quite nice now - brighter lighting, bigger entertainment section, HSBC bank has gone from the corner of the shop, freshly made sandwiches, new cleaner looking salad bar and a "concept" health and beauty section with all angular aisles - nice to look at but takes up a hell of a lot of room.

Aside from that, not much else has changed in there - the oven fresh counter still looks dingy as does the pie shop counter and the cafe still looks naff.

Sounds like the revamp is a half-arsed bit of window dressing then - on a totally different scale to the effort that Tesco put into revamping their stores. That branch is bleak and extremely old fashioned, and from your description it sounds like the changes have made very little difference. That petrol station is like something from communist Russia, and they have those weird blue neon signs over the doors that have no consistency with the Morrisons branding.

Mind you, the Sainsburys in Stoke seems to have been forgotten and left to rot - I couldn't believe how dirty and dilapitated it was when I last went there a few months ago. The store was a filthy disgusting mess with empty shelves everywhere (as if it was closing down), and the petrol station's price tower had the branding of 1992 and looked like it had been sprayed with bullets and was being held together with brown parcel tape.

rdobbie wrote:

AJ wrote:The refit/revamp in the Stoke-on-Trent Morrisons has just about been finished. Went inside today when I was down in the area. New logo on the tower outside along with old yellow signage on the side of the building and the tacky black and yellow petrol station which has remained unchanged.

Inside it's rather quite nice now - brighter lighting, bigger entertainment section, HSBC bank has gone from the corner of the shop, freshly made sandwiches, new cleaner looking salad bar and a "concept" health and beauty section with all angular aisles - nice to look at but takes up a hell of a lot of room.

Aside from that, not much else has changed in there - the oven fresh counter still looks dingy as does the pie shop counter and the cafe still looks naff.

Sounds like the revamp is a half-arsed bit of window dressing then - on a totally different scale to the effort that Tesco put into revamping their stores. That branch is bleak and extremely old fashioned, and from your description it sounds like the changes have made very little difference. That petrol station is like something from communist Russia, and they have those weird blue neon signs over the doors that have no consistency with the Morrisons branding.

Mind you, the Sainsburys in Stoke seems to have been forgotten and left to rot - I couldn't believe how dirty and dilapitated it was when I last went there a few months ago. The store was a filthy disgusting mess with empty shelves everywhere (as if it was closing down), and the petrol station's price tower had the branding of 1992 and looked like it had been sprayed with bullets and was being held together with brown parcel tape.

Yep, it is a bit of a half arsed rebrand. The Sainsubrys in Hanley does look a bit rough - but that's like much of the local area really. The one in Stoke town centre is much nicer - fresh, modern and bright.

Back to Morrisons though - I spotted one of the new carrier bags the other day - god knows where the hell it came from though because in the 2 local Morrisons I have, they still have the bags with the old logo on them.

and now .....

Woolworths Rises on Speculation About a Takeover Bid (Update1)

By Louisa Nesbitt and Roger Neill

Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Woolworths Group Plc, whose U.K. stores sell goods from appliances to children's clothes, rose the most in two months in London trading on speculation the company may receive an offer.

Matthew McEachran, a London-based analyst at Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander, said in a report yesterday U.K. grocers might be interested in a tie-up with London-based Woolworths.

``There is a rumor going round that Morrison is considering a bid for Woolworths,'' McEachran, who has a ``buy'' recommendation on the stock, said in a telephone interview today. Woolworths spokeswoman Celia Gordon Shute and William Morrison Supermarkets Plc spokeswoman Sarah Gestetner declined to comment.

Woolworths shares rose 1.75 pence, or 9.3 percent, to 20.5 pence, the biggest percentage increase since July 31.

To contact the reporter on this story: Louisa Nesbitt in London at [email protected]

Last Updated: October 10, 2007 11:56 EDT

DVB Cornwall wrote: ``There is a rumor going round that Morrison is considering a bid for Woolworths,'' McEachran, who has a ``buy'' recommendation on the stock, said in a telephone interview today. Woolworths spokeswoman Celia Gordon Shute and William Morrison Supermarkets Plc spokeswoman Sarah Gestetner declined to comment.

Marvellous, well the logo is ready.

Speaking of supermarket re-brands, here is the evolution of Marks & Spencer...

I think all three of those logos are a bit boring, especially the newest one, which could do with a crapload of sprucing-up.

Although I'm sure I saw the Ad last week, the next celebrity pushing a Trolley through the middle of nowhere will be Alan Hansen, except he's going on about the Normal food offers this time round, it's officially on tomorrow.