Morrisons slammed for Safeway closures

Morrisons has come under fire for closing down nearly 20 supermarkets during its conversion of the 479 Safeway stores it bought in 2003.

Since Morrisons' acquisition of Safeway was given the green light, it has sold off about 200 stores to rivals including Tesco and Waitrose.

It has also closed 19 smaller stores it could not sell to other retailers and did not fit with its offer because of their size or location.

The closures have attracted criticism from local authorities and consumer groups for their effects on surrounding communities.

One of the stores to be closed is in Tower Hamlets, East London. Tower Hamlets' council leader, Michael Keith, said the local community - particularly the elderly - had relied on the store.

The council organised a petition, but failed to convince Morrisons to keep the store open.

The closures have also been slated by left-wing think-tank the New Economics Foundation (NEF), which accused the retailer of restricting consumer choice and exerting its dominance to the detriment of the community and local business.

Morrisons said the decision to close some Safeway stores had been taken for many reasons, including their location and 'the long-term shape of the business'.

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