Share of 400 Morrisons jobs moving to Wakefield as supermarket giant pulls plug on Bradford distribution centre

The firm said its Bradford site at Cutler Heights would cease operations and 456 people were at risk of redundancy.

It said that 400 new roles would be created for distribution sites in Wakefield and Thrapston in Northamptonshire.

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: “Morrisons currently operates two fruit packing sites at Thrapston, Northamptonshire and Cutler Heights in Yorkshire.

"Recent investments in the Thrapston site have created more capacity and space which has made consolidation of the two sites possible.

"After very careful review and evaluation, we propose to move ahead with a consolidation at Thrapston in the second half of 2023.

“Regrettably, the proposal to consolidate two sites means that there are 456 colleagues at Cutler Heights who are at risk of redundancy.

"We will do everything we can to employ those colleagues in other Morrisons manufacturing, logistics and retail sites in the local area.

“Over 400 new roles will be created at the Thrapston site and in our Wakefield distribution centre.”

The firm was taken over in October 2021 by the American private equity group Clayton Dubilier & Rice.

The Bradford site was the firm’s first ever fruit packing site. The company was established in the city in 1899 – 124 years ago

The move of operations to the Wakefield and Thrapston sites is set to take place in the second half of this year.

It is planning to repurpose Cutler Heights into a pet food manufacturing operation but it is understood this will not happen immediately.