Morrisons Daily stores open at the University of Bradford
A former student has returned to the University of Bradford to help with the opening of two new Morrisons convenience stores on campus.
Two Morrisons Daily Stores have welcomed students and staff at the University’s Student Central and Richmond atrium buildings.
The Student Central fresh food convenience store will offer students and staff a mix of Morrisons own brand products, including its Savers range, alongside branded favourites.
The new range includes a selection of hot food options such as bacon and sausage sandwiches, steak slices and vegan rolls as well as fresh doughnuts and cookies. There are new drink offerings including Tango Ice Blast and Reese's and Hershey’s hot chocolate. The store has received a complete redesign internally and externally.
In addition to the store in Student Central, there is a separate kiosk on the other side of the campus in the atrium in the Richmond building offering a selection of food to go options such as croissants, pain au choc, pecan plaits and hot drinks.
The store in Student Central will be open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm, while the one in the atrium will be open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Rumaana Nisa, pictured above, Wholesale Training Specialist at Morrisons, who graduated from the University of Bradford’s Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme in December, and returned just a month later to assist with the University’s new Morrisons Daily stores.
Rumaana, originally from Derby, said: “It was so nice to come back to the University so soon after my graduation ceremony to help train staff for the new stores.
“Having been a student here and knowing how diverse the community is gave me some extra insight into how we should operate those stores. For example, I suggested introducing our vegan sausage roll to the University’s hot food counter because I know there is a large proportion of Muslim students and staff.
“For me, a Degree Apprenticeship was the best option to start my career. After A-levels, I had provisional offers to study Business Management at two universities - Manchester and Leeds - but because those sort of courses are seen to lead to good careers, they attract a lot of students. There is then a lot of competition for jobs after graduation.
“By becoming a degree apprentice, I was able to start my career with Morrisons, meaning I have three years of experience as well as a qualification, all while earning a salary and without any student debt.
“I worked for Morrisons in Northampton in logistics and every six weeks, I would travel to Bradford for a week of studying at the School of Management. Everything we learned at Bradford was tailored to our work at Morrisons and it was really useful to be able to put the theory straight into practice. I really enjoyed my time at Bradford and felt very supported by my tutors.
“Socially, I got to meet other Morrisons degree apprentices from different parts of the business and country.
“Now I’ve moved over to the wholesale business sector, working alongside franchisees and converting stores to Morrisons daily’s, travelling all over the UK and putting my training into practice.”
Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, who officially opened the stores on Monday 15 January, said: "The University of Bradford, is committed to collaborating with local businesses who share our values of innovation, sustainability and corporate responsibility and have a determination to strengthen our economy.
“We have a long-standing and impactful relationship with Morrisons through our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme, which the School of Management which has been running since 2017 and enables Morrisons' employees to earn a business qualification as part of their early career training.
Opening two Morrisons Daily stores on campus will enable us to work together to enhance our offer to our staff and students
Meanwhile, University of Bradford students said they enjoyed visiting the new Morrisons stores.
Hafsa Hussain who is studying for a degree in Optometry at the University of Bradford, paid a visit to the Student Central store.
She said: “My local supermarket is a Morrisons. They’ve got all of the bakery items, here, I like the look of it (the store).”
A pair of University of Bradford law degree students also visited the stores on their opening day.
Mariam Hussain said: “I think it’s really nice. There is a lot of selection. It makes life a lot easier having it here.”
Saba Ibrar said: “It’s really nice and convenient, you can get everything from one place.”
Allison Thickett, Hospitality and Retail Manager at the University of Bradford, said: “Our partnership with Morrisons will enable us to offer a greater range of quality, reasonably priced groceries, including a value range, which is particularly important during this time of rising living costs."
Nick Russell, Head of Independent Franchise and New Business at Morrisons, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the University of Bradford and opening two Morrisons Dailys on site.
“We have a strong relationship with the University as many of our colleagues are current or former degree apprentices there so it's an exciting day to see everything open. The onsite team there has a wealth of retail expertise and we’ve combined that with our operational support to create two brand new stores for the staff and students.”
Morrisons was proud to be crowned the Convenience Retailer of the Year at the 2023 Retail Industry awards for its Morrisons Daily stores. The number of independent retailers opening up ‘Morrisons Daily’ stores continues to grow thanks to the strength of the Morrisons brand as well as retailer focused benefits such as no delivery fees or charges.