Retail Window Cleaning
Supermarket chain Morrisons has scrapped window cleaning to save money.
The retail giant hopes customers will not notice the cutback this winter because it is too dark.
The decision to let grime collect on store windows has been blamed on ‘financial constraints’ as the big name retailers struggle in the face of competition from discount chains like Lidl and Aldi.
The ban on window cleaning has been in force since the start of December and will run until February 2.
An email from Maintenance Management Ltd (MML) which manages Morrisons’ cleaners, told contractors that the supermarket was facing a ‘tough end of year in respect of their budgetary position’, the Telegraph reported.
The email also blamed ‘financial constraints’ and added that window cleaning was not needed because ‘the weather forecast for this winter shows an increase in snow and frost’.
Morrisons has reported difficult trading in the run-up to the traditionally busy Christmas period.
Last month it suffered a fresh sales decline as heavy discounting to win cash-strapped shoppers and weakness in convenience and online operations took a toll on the supermarket chain.
Like-for-like sales at Morrisons slumped by 2.4 per cent in the 13 weeks to the start of November – undershooting City expectations of a 1.7 per cent.
It came after a 1.6 per cent decline in the six months to the start of August, and follows industry figures showing the chain’s market share has shrunk to around 11.2 per cent from 11.4 per cent a year ago.
The company is pinning its hopes on its ‘Go on its Christmas’ ad campaign starring Ant and Dec to win over shoppers in the next few weeks.
But they will increasingly struggle to see into stores from the outside, after the window cleaning was axed.
A spokesman said: ‘Morrisons has decided to reduce window cleaning at stores because it is less important to customers at the darkest time of the year; because the water that runs off windows can be a slippage hazard in the winter; and so we can spend money on maintenance activity that our customers do care about at this time of year.
‘We will be restoring the normal service in the spring and the reduction does not affect windows easily seen by customers.’
