Morrisons axes price match scheme

Morrisons has performed a major U-turn on its Match & More loyalty scheme, ditching the price matching promise and turning it into a points-based programme.
Unveiled last October to great fanfare by former chief executive Dalton Philips, the scheme originally pledged to match prices offered in rival stores, including Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s.
But almost immediately it faced criticism that it was too confusing, with Clubcard guru Clive Humby branding it “a waste of time“. And the Advertising Standards Authority recently upheld a number of complaints over its advertising.
Philips’ successor David Potts – who used to work at Tesco – announced the scheme was under scrutiny as part of a company-wide strategic review as soon as he joined.
The review has resulted in the end of price matching and the introduction of a Clubcard style approach – it will now offer five points for every pound spent in store – although whether it will be as sophisticated as its rival remains to be seen.
It is estimated that Clubcard costs Tesco more than £500m a year to run and its influence is felt across the entire business. Morrisons’ pockets are not that deep.
A spokesman for Morrisons said: “We have listened carefully to customers and we believe that they will prefer this simpler loyalty scheme.
“The changes mean that every pound counts towards earning points, which is much clearer for our customers.”
Customers also will still be able to collect points on items around the store when the new terms and conditions come into effect on November 2.