The fate of 132 McColl’s shops set for closure is unclear, giving retailers an opportunity to take on vital stores within local communities.

This month, Morrisons announced it would close 132 “loss-making” McColl’s stores by the end of 2022. The supermarket had notably rescued McColl’s from administration with a £190m takeover in May.

However, despite the bailout, Morrisons said the 132 affected stores across the UK had “no realistic prospect of achieving a breakeven position in the medium term”. These sites will be passed onto McColl’s original administrator, PwC.

Morrisons to sell 28 McColl’s stores to help progress CMA deal

The reduction will bring the number of McColl’s stores across the entire estate to around 900. However, one industry source told betterRetailing that the future of the 132 sites was still unknown, despite the closures.