A contextualised analysis of MORRISON (WM) SUPERMARKETS PLC Coursework

A contextualised analysis of MORRISON (WM) SUPERMARKETS PLC - Coursework Example In the United Kingdom there are a total of 92,796 grocery stores which are broadly classified into the following four categories namely Convenience stores, Traditional retail, Hypermarkets, Supermarkets and Superstore and Online Channel. Among these, hypermarkets, supermarkets and superstores are the largest in the UK (Li, 2008). Morrison WM Supermarkets PLC, a publicly traded company, is a supermarket chain which offers a wide range of goods including branded ones and its own labelled products. They are the fourth largest food retailer in the United Kingdom by sales with 439 stores across Britain and an annual turnover of  £16 billion. The main speciality of this chain of supermarkets is its high quality fresh food at great prices. Morrison WM Supermarkets PLC was founded in 1899 by William Morrison. The company has developed from a single egg and butter stall in Bradford and has turned into one of the best food retailers in the United Kingdom. Starting from a small stall in Bradf ord in 1899, a new produce depot was opened in 1976. The company took over Whelan Discount Stores and started operating in Lancashire for the first time in 1978. The first Morrisons distribution centre was opened in 1988 followed by the opening of second distribution centre in 1997. ... They are the fourth largest food retailer in the United Kingdom by sales with 439 stores across Britain and an annual turnover of ?16 billion. The main speciality of this chain of supermarkets is its high quality fresh food at great prices. Morrison WM Supermarkets PLC was founded in 1899 by William Morrison. The company has developed from a single egg and butter stall in Bradford and has turned into one of the best food retailers in the United Kingdom. Starting from a small stall in Bradford in 1899, a new produce depot was opened in 1976. The company took over Whelan Discount Stores and started operating in Lancashire for the first time in 1978. The first Morrisons distribution centre was opened in 1988 followed by the opening of second distribution centre in 1997. It was in February 2004 the company went national by opening a store in Scotland. Morrisons became the fourth largest retailer in the UK in March 2006 by opening UK’s first BioEthanol E85 filling pumps. The compan y has 700 tractors and 1700 trailers distributing to the stores across the country and it is now the largest supplier of apprenticeships in the United Kingdom. The following are deemed to be the four important reasons why they occupy a unique position in the grocery market: 1. Quality: They ensure control quality by owning their own production facilities. 2. Insight: They know what they are buying and where it comes from. 3. Value: They buy direct and pass savings on to the customer. 4. Flexibility: They get their food in store faster and react to the market more quickly. (Morrisons, 2011a) The company’s overall turnover is 17,663, 000 GBP, net income is 690,000 GBP, total assets is worth 9,859,000 GBP and the number of employees is 131,207, number of recorded shareholders is 86