Sir Ken Morrison's values remain vital to supermarket's future as new era beckons - The Yorkshire Post says

Many of those will be heartened to read today’s pledges from the company’s chief executive, David Potts, that Morrisons is in good hands with its new owners and that the jobs of his 110,000 colleagues are safe.

This is a statement that Yorkshire – and all those who work for the chain – needed to hear.

Inevitably, when a takeover of this much-loved company was mooted, and then United States private equity firm CD&R won the battle for ownership, there were concerns that it might have unfortunate consequences.

That Mr Potts insists it will not is very good news, as is his contention that the values of the company’s visionary boss for so many decades, Sir Ken Morrison, will be maintained and respected.

It makes perfect sense for the new owners to do exactly that. Sir Ken knew his customers, and what they expected, more shrewdly than the boss of any other supermarket chain. That understanding enabled him to build the company from its humble beginnings in Bradford into the retail giant it is today.

Sir Ken’s lessons remain important to the future of the company that bears his family name, not least in its support for farmers as British agriculture’s biggest direct customer.

A new era now beckons for Morrisons, and Yorkshire wishes the company well. Let us hope its proud past is a springboard to a bright future.