In coming to their decision, industry judges took into account a number of factors including improvements in customer service, improving sales, innovation, and supplier relationships.
The judges were impressed by how, over the past year, Morrisons had focused heavily on improving the shopping trip for its customers and the growth in sales since Christmas 2015.
They also said that Morrisons was delivering it through better supermarkets while other retailers were achieving growth through new stores, with one judge commenting: “That isn’t only down to the quality of staff but about the whole shopping experience”.
Judges also cited Morrisons’ successful focus on food retailing, much of which it makes itself. “Morrisons is a food supermarket specialist and it is now doing that very well,” was the view from one judge. “It has delivered on overall strategy very quickly and is doing well, with profits and staff motivation up.”
Morrisons’ senior management team also came in for recognition, with one judge saying: “Chief executive, David Potts, is very underrated and what he has achieved is extraordinary. I always thought Morrisons was a great retailer. At some stage it lost its way, but the new team has gone in with renewed focus on the business and that is delivering results.”
