Morrisons recorded a 37.1% drop in pre-tax profit to £105m in the half-year to August 1, which the grocer attributed to £41m of Covid-19 related costs and £80m of lost profits across its café, fuel and food-to-go divisions. 

The grocer said its profits were also impacted as it absorbed costs related to “rising commodity prices and freight inflation, plus a shortage of HGV drivers across the UK”.