Morrisons acquires 49 Blockbuster stores

Supermarket chain Morrisons will acquire 49 stores from troubled retailer Blockbuster, it has been confirmed.

It will use the new locations to widen its network of Morrisons Local stores, creating around 1,000 jobs in the process. The first outlets are expected to open in the summer, the bulk of which are located in the South East.

The move follows Morrisons’ acquisition of a 100,000 square foot distribution centre in West London.

The 49 outlets come from the still unknown list of 164 Blockbuster shops that are to be closed as part of the ongoing administration proceedings. These come on top of the 168 closures that had previously been confirmed.

Administrator Deloitte has suggested that further Blockbuster store acquisitions are likely to be announced in the near future.