Morrisons launches second high street food-to-go concept store

Morrisons is set to expand its high street food-to-go presence with a second Market Kitchen store due to open later this month in Bath.

It is more than two years since Morrisons launched the first of these new format stores, a conversion of its Manchester Piccadilly Gardens site.

There are also currently 18 ‘Market Kitchen’ food courts within existing Morrisons superstores.

However the Bath store is the first cold open Market Kitchen as it will be on the site of a former New Look in the SouthGate shopping centre.

Morrisons said the Bath store will feature the same Market Kitchen concepts as the Manchester store, as well as a small grocery offer, including over 150 locally sourced products in categories such as produce, dairy and BWS.

Market Kitchen offers food including Char & Smoke flame-grilled meat and vegetarian dishes, Bird & Baste roasted chicken, curries, fresh pasta and pizza.

Customers are able to pick up ready-to-go options or choose to have the freshly cooked food delivered to their doorstep via Deliveroo.

While restaurants have struggled, several supermarkets have sought to up their food-to-go offerings. Morrisons claimed it was the only supermarket able to prepare food to go in store using ingredients sourced from its own farms.

“Our food offering will be trend-driven and often reacting to consumer behaviours and feedback, and will offer tasty dishes on the go at affordable prices,” it said.

Paul Stainton, a partner at IPLC UK, said supermarkets were seeing opportunities for increased food-to-go sales, with the cost of living crisis impacting on the out-of-home sector. “This is also very much about Morrisons getting into the trend for street food. It is potentially a chance for them to create a point of difference and a USP, although as ever it will be about the delivery and whether they get their prices right.”

The increased partnering of restaurant brands with grocery retailers will be explored at a new conference co-hosted by The Grocer on 9 November. For the programme and tickets click here.