Morrisons is making a huge change to more than 500 stores from today – and it will save shoppers cash

SUPERMARKET chain Morrisons is making a major change in all its Daily convenience stores from today - and it's great news for shoppers.

The retailer has begun stocking items from its budget Savers range across its 500 convenience stores including toilet rolls, washing up liquid, sausages and skimmed milk.

The move comes after supermarket bosses faced a grilling by ministers over rising food prices last month.

The supermarket is also slashing the price of several essential items in its Daily stores from today, including reducing four pints of whole and semi-skimmed milk from £1.65 to £1.55 and two pints of milk from £1.35 to £1.30.

A six-pack of salad tomatoes will also fall from £1.20 to £1, while from July 17 a medium loaf of white/wholemeal bread will fall from £1 to 85p.

Morrisons said it is initially rolling out 10 items from its budget Savers range to the smaller local shops today, but plans to increase that to 40 in the coming weeks.

The 10 items introduced into its Daily stores from today are:

• Morrisons Savers tomato soup, 400g - 55p
• Morrisons Savers UHT skimmed milk, 1L - 69p
• Morrisons Savers six double toilet rolls - £1.99
• Morrisons Savers washing up liquid, 500ml - 55p
• Morrisons Savers pork sausages, 454g - £1.50
• Morrisons Savers orange juice from concentrate, 1L - £1.50
• Morrisons Savers apple and blackcurrent squash, 750ml - 50p
• Morrisons Savers trifle - 39p
• Morrisons Savers peppers - £1.35

Savers products that will follow in its Daily stores include eggs, ham, juice, butter, cheese and mince meat.

Grocery inflation slowed slightly to 16.5% in May, the lowest it has been so far in 2023 but still one of the highest levels in 15 years.

During the committee hearing last month, supermarket chiefs were questioned over how they are catering for low income shoppers who rely on convenience stores due to a lack of transport.

Supermarkets' convenience stores are typically more expensive than their regular supermarkets.

Earlier this year for example, research by Which? found shoppers buying the same 75 items at a Tesco Express, including Hovis bread and own-brand milk, would spend £817 more a year than those shopping at a regular Tesco supermarket.

Meanwhile, it found shopping for 69 groceries including Heinz tomato soup, McVities biscuits and Birds Eye potato waffles at a Sainsbury's Local would cost around £477 more a year than in a larger Sainsbury's store.

But for many shoppers, a convenience-sized store is their only option, leaving them at an unfair disadvantage compared to those who live near a larger supermarket.

David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said: "Speaking plainly, the reason convenience stores don’t stock entry price point products is because they make very little, if any, money and do not fit with the significantly higher cost structure of convenience stores. 

"But customers - especially those living in areas without easy access to a supermarket - have told us how much they would appreciate it at this difficult time and so we are doing it.”

How can I save money on my supermarket shop?

There are other ways to save money by shopping at Morrisons. If you can get to a regular supermarket, it stocks 217 products in its Savers range including bread and rice as well as freezer fillers such as chicken fillets and mince.  

If you're someone who shops online a lot, consider buying a delivery pass, which Morrison's says could save you up to £176. It's £70 for an annual anytime pass (£5.83 a month) or £40 for a weekday one (Tuesday to Thursday, £3.33 a month).

Many supermarkets also offer a loyalty card scheme where you can pick up products for exclusive prices, such as Tesco's Clubcard or Sainsbury's Nectar card.

Most supermarkets also sell misshapen or ";wonky" fruit and veg for discounted prices.

Lidl shoppers can bag a huge bargain on fruit and veg, with a 5kg box going for just £1.50 while Sainsbury's sells a box of fresh fruit and veg for £2 - but there are limited numbers available each day.

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