Morrisons has put around 200 roles at its Bradford head office at risk as the supermarket accelerates plans to automate more back-office work and lean more heavily on artificial intelligence. The proposed redundancies, affecting roughly 8% of staff at its Hilmore House headquarters, come as the grocer seeks to strip out costs and “capitalise on the potential of data and AI to improve performance”.
Staff were told on Monday afternoon that a consultation had begun on a fresh restructuring of central functions covering multiple departments, rather than a single team. The move is part of a long-term programme begun last year to “streamline processes and structures, automate a number of manual tasks and capitalise on the potential of data and AI”, according to the retailer.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “During 2025 Morrisons commenced a long-term programme to re-engineer certain business functions, to concentrate on the core activities that our customers value, streamline processes and structures, automate a number of manual tasks and capitalise on the potential of data and AI to improve performance.” They added: “As we evolve and adapt, we are proposing to make some changes to a number of areas within our central structure. This will involve making some tough but necessary decisions which will impact on colleagues in our head office, where we are proposing to place a number of roles at risk of redundancy.”
The supermarket, which employs about 95,000 people across the UK, stressed that a statutory consultation process is now under way with affected colleagues. “We recognise that this news will be hard for those impacted, and we will provide our complete support, including assistance in helping them find alternative positions within the organisation wherever possible,” the spokesperson said.
The latest cuts follow a separate restructuring announced last month, which put around 100 Bradford-based roles at risk as Morrisons moves to bring together teams sourcing products for its supermarkets and Morrisons Daily convenience estate. Taken together, more than 300 head office positions have been placed under review in recent weeks as the retailer overhauls its central operations.
The shake-up underlines the pressure on big grocers to balance investment in prices with rising wage, energy and supply chain costs, while also dealing with intense competition from discounters. Morrisons, owned by US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, has been working to cut its hefty debt pile and improve trading under chief executive Rami Baitiéh, who is tasked with strengthening the group’s financial position in a “very challenging” market.
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Reports have emerged of employees left “in tears” after being called into meetings to learn their jobs could be at risk, highlighting the human impact of the restructure at Hilmore House. Unions and employee representatives are expected to examine the plans closely as the consultation progresses, with concerns over the spread of job losses across commercial, marketing, HR, supply chain and technical departments.
Morrisons has argued that greater use of automation and AI will help improve forecasting, stock management and category planning, ultimately supporting better availability and sharper pricing in stores. For those waiting to discover whether they still have a role at the Bradford head office, however, the coming weeks are likely to be dominated by uncertainty as the retailer works through its latest round of cuts.
