Move over, Waitrose? How Morrisons is becoming the surprisingly 'posh' supermarket shoppers are flocking to for fresh farm-like produce, sushi bars and stylish ceramics

'Santorini' scented candles, sophisticated ceramics and a fully stocked sushi and poke bowl bar - you may think you're in an artisanal supermarket, but you're actually wandering through the aisles of a Morrisons. The grocery brand has always found itself firmly in the middle - never quite amid the 'budget' offerings, but not truly a 'luxury' store like Waitrose.Now, however, social media is flooded with shoppers who are baffled at the prestige which has slowly crawled into a shop perhaps best remembered for its Take That ad in the noughties.One branch in London's Hackney greets customers with baskets of fresh red, orange and yellow tomatoes and assorted chutneys, as well as featuring a fresh orange juice machine.Elsewhere, lifestyle blogger Sophie, from York, enjoyed an 'antipasti platter' from the shop, which is also available in Morrisons meal deal, and included a rich tomato bruschetta dip, pitted olives, gouda, chorizo and Italian taralli. UK content creator Ameer, meanwhile, couldn't get enough of the inventive baked goods offerings at the supermarket earlier this year, featuring a 'Mini egg cheesecake' and 'doughnut trifle'.The retailer has also recently come out with some very upmarket-looking truffle and Italian Cheese flavour crisps.Many influencers, such as @inside_our_home and @lushlifestylejess, have also been impressed by its homeware brand Nutmeg.Its colourful, summer candles, ceramics and glass vases have wowed commenters, with people writing they 'couldn't believe it was Morrisons'.Elsewhere, shoppers have also been impressed with Morrisons cafe - calling it a '10/10' - and surprisingly 'reliable'.Speaking to the Daily Mail, a branding expert revealed that the company is 'executing textbook 'masstige', mass market prestige'. One branch in London's Hackney greets customers with baskets of fresh red, orange and yellow tomatoes and assorted chutneys, as well as featuring a fresh orange juice machine'The idea is that you give people the signals of a premium product, the packaging, the language, the presentation, without the premium price tag. It's affordable indulgence, and it works because they're not asking anyone to spend more,' Aidan van Vuuren, Head of Digital at Peak Digital, shared.'They're asking people to feel better about what they're already spending.'The timing is also very intentional. When money is tight, people don't stop buying luxury, they downsize it.'The holiday and the restaurant meal go first, but the small treat stays, because it's the one bit of discretionary spending that still feels achievable.'A supermarket is perfectly placed to capture that, because it's a trip you were making anyway. You're not making a decision to indulge, you're upgrading a decision you'd already made.'Aidan added that Morrisons is also 'starting from a useful position'.He continued: 'They've never been the premium supermarket in the public imagination, which is exactly why this works.'The gap between what people expect and what they find is where the reaction comes from. Nobody makes a video about Waitrose feeling posh, because that's just Waitrose being Waitrose. Elsewhere, lifestyle blogger Sophie , from York, enjoyed an 'antipasti platter' from the shop, which is also available in Morrisons meal deal, and included a rich tomato bruschetta dip, pitted olives, gouda, chorizo and Italian taralli Another branch boasted a fully stocked sushi and poke bowl bar UK content creator Ameer , meanwhile, couldn't get enough of the inventive baked goods offerings at the supermarket earlier this year, featuring a 'Mini egg cheesecake' and 'doughnut trifle' Elsewhere, shoppers have also been impressed with Morrisons cafe - calling it a '10/10' - and surprisingly 'reliable''They already own the fresh counters, the butcher, the baker, the fishmonger, and that theatre reads as craft rather than corporate. They're not inventing a premium story from nothing, they're drawing attention to something that was already true and previously undersold.Now the risk, Aidan said, is not to trip up while you're ahead. 'The risk is that this kind of momentum is quite easy to kill. The moment it looks commercialised, the moment the price creeps up or it turns into an official campaign, the thing that made it worth sharing disappears.The smart move is to keep feeding it quietly and let people carry on thinking they discovered it, because in a real sense they did.' Elsewhere, Dan Hulse, Chief Strategy Officer & Partner at St Luke's said it's important to get the 'the right kind of posh' in the supermarket space.'In today's economy, Waitrose can feel like bad posh (only for people who have money to burn) while M&S is good posh (fancy pants, but for everyone),' he explained.'They do a really good job offering everyone a chance to get a bit of poshness in their life (a posh prawn sarnie or sausage roll, a very indulgent biscuit or melt in the middle pud). They tap into the lipstick effect, offering a bit of accessible luxury for people on a budget - and that's why they've overtaken Waitrose over the last three years.'When we worked with Ocado, we were helping move them away from bad posh, to a supermarket that can bring you posh when you want it, and value when you need it. Ocado has an enormous range so we focused on the idea that you could get exactly the shop that suited you, which of course is a great proposition for foodies (as well as the broader population). Hence "There's an Ocado just for you." The idea of a bespoke service, like bespoke tailoring, says it's going to be a premium experience.'Morrisons needs to tread carefully. While social media may be helping it appear more aspirational, there's a risk that leaning too heavily into a premium image, they aren't good value ("Which?" says that Morrisons are the UK's most expensive supermarket for July) and this activity could make them seem less affordable if they don't watch out.'In 2025, it was reported that the company was going through an 'overhaul' - as more than a dozen stores were closed.Bosses at the retailer blamed Labour's 'tax bomb budget' at the time, which saw it hike National Insurance contributions from employers and increase the minimum wage. Around 365 jobs were believed to be at risk as part of the move, which also saw 52 of its in-store cafes close permanently.The re-jig of the chain's operations also hit shops that remain open, as it shut hot food and meat counters, as well as florists and pharmacies.The stores that were closed were Morrisons Daily locations - these are smaller branches that are run as convenience stores as opposed to larger supermarkets.The chain's CEO Rami Baitiéh, who previously helmed French supermarket giant Carrefour before joining Morrisons in 2023, said the changes are needed to 'renew and reinvigorate' the firm.It came as the retailer said it was costing the business more to run services than it was making from customer spending.The supermarket previously said: 'Morrisons has made the difficult decision to close some Morrisons Daily stores, some of which contain Post Offices. Many influencers, such as @inside_our_home and @lushlifestylejess, have also been impressed by its homeware brand Nutmeg Its colourful, summer candles, ceramics and glass vases have wowed commenters, with people writing they 'couldn't believe it was Morrisons' Many have been impressed by the supermarket's 'aesthetic' decor offerings'We fully recognise the inconvenience this will cause for our customers and apologise for the short notification as these branches close between 9 April and 14 May.'Announcing the closures last month, Baitiéh said: 'The changes we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.'Despite it costing the business more to keep services running compared to what it makes from revenues, CEO Rami Baitiéh insisted Morrisons and its cafes have a 'bright future'.Mr Baitiéh - an ex air force colonel, dubbed 'Mr Fixit' - said: 'The changes we are announcing today are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.'Morrisons Cafes are rightly famous for their great quality well-priced food, their place in the local community and their appealing mix of traditional favourites alongside exciting new dishes.'In most locations the Morrisons Cafe has a bright future, but a minority have specific local challenges and in those locations, regrettably, closure and re-allocation of the space is the only sensible option.'Market Street is a beacon of differentiation for Morrisons and we remain committed to it. But as we modernise we are making some necessary changes to the areas of the model which are simply uneconomic.'In some stores where we are closing counters or Cafes, we plan to work with third parties to provide a relevant specialist offer.'Although these changes are relatively small in the context of the overall scale of the Morrisons business, we do not take lightly the disruption and uncertainty they will cause to some of our colleagues.'We will of course take particular care to look after all of them well through the coming changes.'