Around 1,300 McColl’s workers are at risk of redundancy as part of proposals to shut 132 loss-making stores.

Morrisons, which rescued the convenience chain from administration earlier this year, confirmed the news this afternoon.

Joseph Sutton, the company’s convenience, online and wholesale director, said he felt ‘regret’ at the proposed decision to close struggling stores.

He said: ‘We very much regret the proposed closure of 132 loss-making stores but it is, very sadly, an important step towards the regeneration of the business.

‘I am confident that McColl’s can, in the Morrisons family, once again become a growing, thriving and vibrant convenience business serving local communities across the UK.’

Mr Sutton added: ‘We have a great deal of work to do but there’s no question that McColl’s is a business with strong potential.

‘I’m confident that the combination of McColl’s conveniently located stores and great colleagues together with Morrisons scale, brand, systems and fresh food expertise will lead to a transformation of the business.’

Earlier this year, McColl’s had warned administration was ‘increasingly likely’.

But Morrisons swooped in, battling off other supermarket chains in the process, to acquire the chain in May.

At the time, it was reported that the move had saved around 16,000 jobs.

McColl’s runs more than 1,100 convenience shops across England, Scotland and Wales.

It serves millions of customers each week across its stores, and was founded in Glasgow in 1901.

According to the McColl’s website, the company sees a turnover of over £1 billion.

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