The store, located at 31 High Street, shut its doors in July 2024 for what the company described at the time as “essential maintenance”, though mystery surrounds what the issue is and why it’s taken so long to resolve.
However this week Morrisons told the LDRS “significant structural repairs” are required, without going into further detail.
Local salon owner Sanjay Vyas, of Anavrin Beauty Clinic & Hair, said the closure has had a direct effect on businesses like his at the top of the High Street.
“It has massively affected us, Morrisons was so convenient to us,” he said.
Mr Vyas believes the supermarket’s car park was a vital draw for footfall in the northern part of the High Street.
He said: “Almost all of our customers were using that car park. Now we are losing a huge part of our customer base.
“When they park at ASDA or Sainsbury’s at the other ends of the High Street, they can’t be bothered to walk all the way up here.
“Our customers used Morrisons’ parking or B&Q, but now they have both gone.
“There is another car park nearby, but no one wants to pay £4 to park and then come to us to get their eyebrows done for £6. They just don’t see the benefit of it.”
When asked if concerns had been raised with the council, Mr Vyas said many local businesses have voiced their frustrations.
“Everyone has told the council about this, but they just care about the flats going up and getting their council tax money from them,” he said.
Sutton Council Leader Barry Lewis acknowledged the impact of Morrisons’ continued closure on a recent walk around the town centre with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
He said: “It has had an impact, particularly at this end of the High Street.”
However, he also claimed the majority of people who parked in Morrisons did so only to use the supermarket.
He told the LDRS: “Part of the challenge was that people coming into the Morrisons car park didn’t actually spend that much time or money here.
“They would come in, do their shopping in Morrisons, and after 20 minutes they would leave. They weren’t dwelling.”
Sutton Council has also expressed concerns over Morrisons’ lack of transparency. Since its closure, the council says it has sent numerous letters to Morrisons but has received limited information in return.
“We did write to them and they said they are thinking about what to do, but they are just not very responsive, said Cllr Lewis.
Why did Morrisons close?
In October 2024, three months after the store shut suddenly, Morrisons confirmed that “significant” issues had been discovered at the site.
The supermarket chain said the store would be closed for an “extended period” as a result.
In November, the council confirmed that no planning applications had been lodged to change the building’s use, indicating Morrisons still retains the site. Morrisons’ head office told the LDRS they expect to share a fresh update on the store’s status “very soon”.
However, with development booming across the town centre, Cllr Lewis questioned Morrisons’ continued closure in light of the growing footfall in Sutton.
He said: “With more people coming to Sutton, people are going to want to shop. We have got the new Lidl coming, so it is not that people don’t want to be in Sutton.”
A spokesperson for Morrisons told the LDRS: “Detailed surveys have revealed that the store requires significant structural repairs, which unfortunately means an extended period of closure.
“We are taking time to explore options to improve the site and are grateful to local residents for their patience while we do this.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a clear timetable at this point, but do anticipate being able to share an update shortly. We are conscious of the impact on the local community and keen to move things forward as quickly as we can.”
