Motor Fuel Group has said the Morrisons Daily forecourt trial is “still under review” after nine months of operation.
The trial, which began in October last year, saw Morrisons open forecourt convenience formats at MFG sites in Crewe, Romford, Foots Cray and two in Coventry.
Despite positive customer feedback, MFG told The Grocer it would “stick with five” for now, as differing operating models were currently preventing expansion.
“For Morrisons, this is a new business to be in so they’ve been learning as they go and we’ve been working with them and understanding what’s right for them and what’s right for us,” said MFG retail director Richard Baker. “The customer response has been very positive. They like the offer, the look and feel, and the range. The overall proposition seems to fit very well. That side of it has been good, it’s just more around the operating models: how we operate and how they operate and how we would make it work if we suddenly went to a lot more sites all around the UK. All of those still need to be answered and worked through. That’s what we’re doing at the moment.”
MFG stressed it was still “very open to expansion”, as the proposition and operating model of the Morrisons Daily forecourts were still in development.
In May, Morrisons CEO David Potts announced he would meet with MFG to review the results of the trial within the next month but the retailer refused to comment on the outcome other than to confirm the pilot was still underway.
Meanwhile, MFG has also secured a partnership to open 10 Subway concessions, which will open this year.
The forecourt operator has a further ten sites awaiting approval from Subway and is considering partnerships with other fast food retail outlets for more sites.
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