Morrisons has reinforced its commitment to growing its franchise-operated Morrisons Daily stores at its latest national franchise conference.
Bringing together senior Morrisons leaders, major supplier partners and Morrisons independent franchise operators, the flagship event celebrated the recent successes of the convenience brand.
The conference also laid down an ambitious plan for accelerated future expansion, with targets to open hundreds more franchise stores in the years ahead.
The event served as a celebration of recent collaborative milestones - most notably significant improvements in on-shelf availability - underlining the conference's central theme of unlocking the full power of the broader Morrisons business.
This ensures franchisees can seamlessly leverage Morrisons retail expertise, such as its field-based trainers and industry-leading New Product Development (NPD) pipeline, in order to gain a competitive edge.
The comprehensive agenda kicked off with a networking dinner the evening before, followed by a day of strategic presentations from senior Morrisons leaders, including CEO Rami Baitiéh, who reiterated the focus on mutual growth.
Attendees also participated in interactive, operationally focused workshops targeting key commercial areas, including supply chain and logistics as well as driving value for customers through price-marked packs.
In addition, there was a dedicated supplier village showcasing the direct-to-supplier initiatives available to franchise partners as well as fundraising activities that raised money for Marie Curie, Morrisons official charity partner.
Key announcements made during the conference to support franchise partners’ profitability and expansion included:
- Boosted Recruitment Incentives: A doubling of the current ‘Refer a Friend’ incentive, rewarding existing partners who help expand the network.
- Switching Incentive: An announcement that franchise partners operating stores under other symbol groups can receive £2,000 for transferring those sites over to Morrisons Daily.
- The 'Hot Weather Club': The launch of an innovative, weather-triggered supply scheme that automatically allocates essential water and ice lines to registered stores when local temperatures hit 23°C or above, guaranteeing stock availability whilst offering a cost saving of over 10%.
Paul Dobson, Morrisons Wholesale Director at Morrisons, said: "Our franchise partners are the engine for the future growth for Morrisons Daily and this conference was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our shared successes.
"We are entirely committed to supporting their businesses by reducing operational costs and making the very best of Morrisons - from our skilled teams to innovations like our Hot Weather Club - fully available to them."
The high turnout underscores the strong momentum behind the Morrisons Daily franchise model as it continues to scale its presence in the convenience sector.
Morrisons has over 1,700 convenience stores, 700 of which are franchise sites. This fast-growing partnership group is made up of convenience stores and fuel forecourts situated in convenient and busy locations around the country.