A multi-year artificial intelligence implementation programme at Morrisons will claim up to 200 head office positions in Bradford, West Yorkshire, marking the second round of redundancies within weeks as the supermarket giant accelerates automation efforts across its central operations.
The latest cuts—announced to staff during Monday 13 April meetings—follow March’s elimination of the convenience buying team, with the retailer characterising the Bradford redundancies as a “tough but necessary decision” required for capitalising on AI’s performance improvement potential.
Morrisons confirmed consultation processes have commenced with affected colleagues, offering “full support” including assistance finding alternative roles elsewhere within the business operating 497 supermarkets alongside over 1,700 convenience and franchise stores nationwide.
A company spokesperson outlined the strategic rationale: “During 2025 Morrisons commenced a long term programme to re-engineer certain of its 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.”
The transformation initiative aims ensuring “central functions are better placed to serve our stores and strengthen our ability to deliver for customers in the current very challenging market conditions,” with the spokesperson acknowledging proposed changes would “impact on colleagues in our head office, where we’re proposing to place a number of roles at risk of redundancy.”
The grocery chain’s AI overhaul represents a fundamental restructuring prioritising automation of manual tasks alongside enhanced data utilisation, reflecting broader retail sector trends toward technology-driven operational efficiency amid intensifying competitive pressures and margin compression.
“As we evolve and adapt, we’re proposing to make some changes to a number of areas within our central structure,” the spokesperson stated, emphasising the multi-year programme’s scope whilst acknowledging immediate employment consequences.
The Bradford head office redundancies arrive during what Morrisons describes as “very challenging market conditions,” with the retailer joining numerous competitors implementing workforce reductions whilst simultaneously investing in technological capabilities designed reducing operational costs long-term.
Staff consultation obligations mean final redundancy figures may vary from initial 200-role projections, though the retailer’s commitment to a “long term programme” suggests additional workforce adjustments could materialise as AI capabilities expand across previously human-dependent functions.
The March convenience buying team cuts foreshadowed the broader transformation now unfolding, with that earlier round representing initial steps toward the restructured operational model Morrisons envisions emerging from its multi-year re-engineering efforts.
“We understand this will be difficult news for these colleagues,” the spokesperson acknowledged, though the retailer maintains the changes prove essential for competitive positioning within an evolving retail landscape increasingly shaped by automation capabilities and data-driven decision-making frameworks.
