Half a million more customers per week have helped UK retailer Morrisons increase turnover by 6.0% to €16.5 billion for the year ending February 2008 and push profit before tax up to €780 m (2007: €470m)

Having bought Safeway, Morrisons the UK's fourth largest food retailer has positioned itself as the country's “food specialist for everyone”. In this way it aims to differentiate itself from the larger competitors, who are expanding in the non-food range.
Marc Bolland, chief executive, said, “This has been a strong year for Morrisons. Customer numbers have grown by an extra half million per week and we are well on track to becoming the ‘food specialist for everyone’.”

The product range increased by 2,000 lines to 30,000 and over 8,000 have been relaunched which included the removal of all hydrogenated fats, and significant reductions in salt, from Morrisons own label ranges.

The company image has also been sharpened with a programme to freshen-up its stores. This covers the exterior and interior signage of stores, filling stations, trucks and the Market Street counters. Work on the new look is well on the way and should be complete by July 2008. 

Sir Ken Morrison who has led Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc for 55 years announced his retirement as chairman and director of the company, effective from 13 March, 2008.  Sir Ian Gibson, currently deputy chairman, will succeed him, as non-executive chairman.

Sir Ken transformed Morrisons from a small, family business into the UK’s fourth largest food retailer and a top five food manufacturer, with 375 stores and 117,000 colleagues, serving over nine million customers a week.

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