Morrisons has appointed the former managing director of Nisa Retail as its operations director for convenience stores as the supermarket giant continues to target ambitious growth in the sector.
Peter Batt joins Morrisons following two and half years at Nisa, where he oversaw a 10% rise in the number of stores signed up to the firm, and spearheaded a “cultural shift” that resulted in vastly improved staff-survey results.
His appointment comes as Morrisons increasingly focuses on the convenience sector, with the firm announcing plans in June last year to open 400 new Morrisons Daily c-stores, and have 2,000 operating, by the end of the 2025. At the time the firm had 1,600 Daily stores, a figure that currently stands at around 1,700, with 700 of those run by franchisees.
Morrisons subsequently pushed its goal of having 2,000 Daily stores back to 2026, and Batt’s appointment comes as it looks to make good on that target.
In April this year Victoria Lockie joined Morrisons as head of wholesale for strategic projects and acquisitions. As with Batt, Lockie is also ex-Nisa, having spent 12 years with that firm, ultimately as head of retail.
In July this year Morrisons improved terms for independent retailers, upping their maximum volume rebate to 6%, from a previous cap of 1.5%. The firm is owned by the same US private equity giant as MFG, and while Morrisons sold its 337 petrol stations to MFG for £2.5bn in 2024, its Daily convenience stores are becoming an increasingly common feature at forecourts.
