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Telling a three-year-old Morrisons café is closing

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
BBC Radio WM
Tanya Gupta
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC Pat Ward, wearing a spotty dress and a jacket and handbag, stands in the car park at Morrisons in Stirchley. There are parked cars behind her and the walls of the supermarket building, with trees in the background, and the sky is cloudy and grey.BBC
Pat Ward likes to visit the café with her grandson, who is aged three

How do you break the news to your three-year-old grandson that his favourite place is closing? According to Pat Ward - a regular visitor with him to Morrisons supermarket café - you brace yourself.

The bracing came after the chain announced it was to shut 52 cafés across the UK, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

That news sent Ms Ward scrambling to check the list of affected branches, with her suburban venue in Stirchley, Birmingham, facing the chop.

On reading the list, her mind immediately turned to her grandchild and she thought: "Oh, no, how am I going to tell him?" She said he loved the place, which was "a lovely, neighbourhood" set-up, with a shop offering children a free piece of fruit.

There is no word yet on how well he took the blow, but Ms Ward did say she was surprised by the news her branch was involved because the café was always full.

The company has said the changes are necessary to renew and reinvigorate the business, with most affected staff expected to be redeployed, and about 365 at risk of redundancy.

"There are always people in eating," Ms Ward said of her own slice of heaven.

"And all the different deals lately, clearly to try and save it – the OAP deal, the £5 breakfast, the takeaway fish and chips. And the children's meal, [where] if I go in and buy something, they eat free.

"Right here, we'll miss it," she said. "We will miss it. I hope they change their minds."

Aphra Anderson, wearing a navy jacket and glasses, with her hair in a plait, stands outside Morrisons. She is smiling at the camera. There is a road behind her with an area of shrubs and trees.
Aphra Anderson said Morrisons café was affordable and helped many people

The owner of another local café, Aphra Anderson, visits the same Morrisons branch daily.

She said Morrisons cafés offered a different business model to others, with more affordable options and a focus on breakfasts.

Low-cost options were one thing that Morrisons had that other businesses did not, she said.

Another customer there told BBC Radio WM it was a great café and "loads of people" used it.

He said he had visited the café many times, highlighting "good food, good pricing", adding: "I don't see why they're [closing] it."

The café would "really be missed", he said.

A view of the cafe from outside, looking through the window. The room has wooden floors and wooden tables and chairs, and the words Morrisons Cafe can be seen on the window panes. The cafe inside is lit up and looks warm. The reflection of the bare trees and grey, cloudy sky can be seen in the glass.
Regular customers said they would miss the café and questioned the decision to close it

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