Morrisons to shut all stores on Boxing Day

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Supermarket giant Morrisons will shut all of its nearly 500 stores over Boxing Day to reward the hard work of its more than 110,000 frontline staff this year.

A spokesman for the grocer said: “Everyone at Morrisons has worked incredibly hard over the last 18 months as we’ve responded to the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, serving our customers and local communities.

“So this year we’re taking the exceptional step of closing all our supermarkets on Boxing Day, so as many colleagues as possible can enjoy a two-day weekend break with family and friends.”

The announcement by Morrisons follows similar steps taken by several retailers last year as a reward for frontline staff who had worked through the pandemic.

Last year, Aldi, Lidl, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Pets at Home and The Entertainer all shut on December 26.

Usdaw national officer Joanne McGuiness welcomed the move by Morrisons, saying the grocer was “doing the right thing by their staff with the closure of supermarkets on Boxing Day”.

“Key workers have done so much this year and we are asking retailers to give their staff the longest possible break over the festive season to provide them with a well-deserved breather. We don’t think this is too much to ask for,” she added.

The announcement comes at a time when the grocer is at the centre of a takeover battle between rival private equity firms. A consortium led by Softbank-owned Fortress last week increased its recommended bid for Morrisons to £6.7bn – a 7% increase on its previous offer of £6.3bn.

Rival private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, which is advised by former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy, has been lining up equity and debt financing in preparation for a counter bid.