Not long after taking the reins at Morrisons almost two years ago, boss David Potts referred to the grocer as the “British underdog.”

Since then, the supermarket chain has shown its bite is as effective as Potts’ bark, digging its teeth into its big four rivals on price, quality, range and customer service as it returned to sales growth and stabilised market share declines.

That word “British” has played an important role in its recovery under the stewardship of the former Tesco executive – harnessing its vertically integrated model and Market Street proposition to win back shoppers – and it could prove even more significant in shaping its future.

Morrisons has today pledged to recruit more than 200 new supply partners from across England, Scotland and Wales over the course of the coming year to bolster its Great British credentials.

It’s a strategy that makes perfect sense amid a turbulent retailing landscape.

Brexit pressure

Britain’s impending exit from the European Union is threatening to push the price of imports up – and around half of the food we put on our plates or have served to us in pubs and restaurants is shipped in from overseas.

It leaves grocers facing higher sourcing costs on a huge chunk of their proposition, forcing them either to raise prices or absorb the impact and eat into what are already wafer thin margins.

Climate change is wreaking havoc, too.

Despite its unique vertically integrated model, Morrisons was not immune to the supply chain problems that have plagued the UK’s grocery retailers over the past few months, after a bitterly cold snap in Spain wrecked supplies of vegetables such as aubergines, courgettes and iceberg lettuces, leaving gaps galore on supermarket shelves.

Wider benefits

The benefits from a supplier persepctive shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Morrisons’ move will support the local economy, help maintain a thriving agricultural sector and create a greater diversity of farm types producing more diverse foods.

Giving smaller suppliers access to such a wide customer base will also help these burgeoning firms grow at a much quicker rate, rather than leaving them wading through the treacle.

Of course, even with the financial windfall that comes from supplying big players like Morrisons, UK farmers aren’t suddenly going to start growing bananas, coconuts or kiwi fruit any time soon.

But grocers should source whatever they possibly can from home soil, not just for their own benefit, but at the behest of their customers.

According to a survey by Omnibus conducted just last month, two-thirds of UK shoppers prefer to buy British produce – and 27% of consumers said they would buy more locally produced food, even if imported goods became cheaper in a post-Brexit world.

With clear top and bottom line benefits, Morrisons’ provenance push should bear a different kind of fruit.

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