Who Owns Morrisons?

Morrisons is privately owned through a holding-company structure backed by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The supermarket business, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, has Market Bidco Limited as its immediate parent, while its latest available annual accounts identify Market Topco Limited as its ultimate parent and controlling party. (Companies House)

CD&R acquired Morrisons in 2021. The investment behind Market Topco was made through a vehicle owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fund XI, L.P. together with related and commonly managed investment vehicles. (Morrisons)

Direct Answer: Who Owns Morrisons

The short answer is that Morrisons is owned through a CD&R-backed private-company structure.

The legal supermarket company is Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, company number 00358949. Companies House currently records Market Bidco Limited as its active person with significant control, with more than 75% of the voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors. (Companies House)

Morrisons’ latest available annual report gives the wider ownership chain more precisely. It names Market Bidco Limited as the immediate parent and Market Topco Limited as the ultimate parent undertaking and controlling party. The same report says the holding companies were set up by CD&R Fund XI for the acquisition of Morrisons.

So, while saying “CD&R owns Morrisons” is useful shorthand, the legal corporate structure contains several holding companies between the supermarket operating business and the CD&R investment vehicles.

For a wider comparison with other chains, see our UK supermarket owners guide.

Ownership Structure Explained

Owner and parent entity

The main ownership chain can be understood as:

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited → Market Bidco Limited → wider Market holding-company structure → Market Topco Limited → CD&R Fund XI investment vehicles.

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited is the company carrying on the core Morrisons supermarket business. Its registered office remains at Hilmore House in Bradford, and Companies House records it as an active private limited company. (Companies House)

Market Bidco Limited is its immediate parent. Morrisons’ annual accounts then identify Market Topco Limited as the ultimate parent and controlling party of the group. Market Topco is itself a UK private limited company. (Morrisons)

At the investment level, the latest available Morrisons accounts say the investment in Market Topco was made by a vehicle owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fund XI, L.P. and certain related and commonly managed investment vehicles. (Morrisons)

This distinction matters because the supermarket brand, operating company, immediate parent, ultimate parent and private equity investor are not all the same legal entity.

How did CD&R acquire Morrisons?

Morrisons was previously a publicly listed company. In October 2021, the business was acquired in a transaction involving CD&R, Market Bidco and Market Topco.

The Competition and Markets Authority records that Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Holdings, LLC completed its acquisition of Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited on 27 October 2021. Morrisons’ own corporate records also state that Market Topco acquired the shares in the supermarket company and that Morrisons was subsequently delisted from the London Stock Exchange. (GOV.UK)

Morrisons is therefore no longer a supermarket whose shares can be bought directly on the London Stock Exchange.

Morrisons brand owner, operator and trade mark owner

For most shoppers, “Morrisons” means the supermarket brand. Legally, however, it is important to separate the brand from the companies and assets behind it.

Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited operates the core supermarket business. Its parent companies sit above it in the corporate ownership chain, but that does not mean every Morrisons-branded asset or location is owned directly by the same company.

Trade mark ownership is another separate question. Companies House security filings by Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited refer to Morrisons trade marks among the company’s secured assets, including the MORRISONS registration numbered 2137961. However, anyone who needs to establish the current legal proprietor of a particular Morrisons word mark, logo or other registration should check the UK Intellectual Property Office register because different marks can have different registrations, classes and ownership histories. (Companies House)

How to Verify the Information

Morrisons ownership is time-sensitive, so the most reliable approach is to check several records rather than relying on a single company profile.

A useful verification sequence is:

• Check Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, company number 00358949, at Companies House, including its company overview, persons with significant control and latest filings. Current records identify Market Bidco Limited as the active controlling entity recorded for the company. (Companies House)
• Check the latest Morrisons annual report for the immediate and ultimate parent companies. The latest available report identifies Market Bidco Limited as the immediate parent and Market Topco Limited as the ultimate parent and controlling party.
• Use the Competition and Markets Authority’s acquisition record to confirm the 2021 CD&R takeover and the companies involved in the transaction. (GOV.UK)
• For a specific Morrisons trade mark, search the UK Intellectual Property Office register rather than assuming that the supermarket operator, parent company and registered trade mark proprietor must always be identical.

Public company records should also be read carefully. They can show parent companies, significant control and corporate relationships without necessarily identifying one individual as the ultimate beneficial owner of an investment fund structure.

Common Misunderstandings

Is Morrisons still owned by the Morrison family?

The Morrison family does not control Morrisons under the current ownership structure shown in the latest public records. Morrisons is now privately held through the Market group of holding companies backed by CD&R investment vehicles. (Morrisons)

The company’s origins and founding family are therefore separate from its present-day ownership.

Does CD&R directly own Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited?

Not in the simple sense of CD&R appearing as the immediate parent of the supermarket operating company.

The immediate parent is Market Bidco Limited and the ultimate parent identified in Morrisons’ latest available accounts is Market Topco Limited. Those holding companies were established for the CD&R Fund XI acquisition, with investment into Market Topco coming through a CD&R Fund XI vehicle and related investment vehicles.

Calling Morrisons “CD&R-owned” is reasonable shorthand, but it leaves out the legal holding-company structure.

Does MFG own Morrisons because it bought the petrol stations?

No. Motor Fuel Group’s purchase of Morrisons petrol forecourts did not amount to a purchase of the Morrisons supermarket group.

Morrisons completed the sale of its 337-site petrol forecourt business to MFG in April 2024 for £2.5 billion. Morrisons received cash and an approximately 21% equity interest in MFG, while the forecourts continued to use Morrisons branding and Morrisons continued supplying food and groceries under the commercial arrangement. (Morrisons)

This is a good example of why site ownership, brand use, operating arrangements and corporate ownership should not be treated as the same thing.

Is there one named individual who owns Morrisons?

The public records do not support reducing Morrisons’ ownership to one named individual.

Market Topco Limited is identified as the ultimate parent and controlling party in Morrisons’ accounts. Its Companies House PSC record currently states that there is no registrable person or registrable relevant legal entity in relation to that company. Morrisons’ accounts instead describe investment through a CD&R Fund XI vehicle and related investment vehicles. (Companies House)

That is why it is more accurate to describe Morrisons as CD&R-backed and privately owned through Market Topco and its holding-company structure than to name a single person as the owner.

Related Ownership Guides

To compare Morrisons with other supermarket groups, see Who Owns Aldi UK and Who Owns Asda.

For broader research, the Brand Ownership Database covers ownership routes across UK brands, while our brand parent company lookup guide explains how to trace a brand through intermediate companies to its wider corporate group.

If you are starting with a brand name and do not yet know the legal company behind it, see Who Owns This Brand.

FAQs

Who is the main owner or controlling entity behind Morrisons?

Morrisons’ latest available annual accounts identify Market Topco Limited as the ultimate parent undertaking and controlling party. Market Bidco Limited is the immediate parent of Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited and is also recorded at Companies House as its active person with significant control. The investment behind Market Topco comes through a vehicle owned by CD&R Fund XI and related investment vehicles.

Is Morrisons owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice?

Morrisons is commonly described as being owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) because CD&R led the 2021 acquisition and its Fund XI investment structure sits behind the acquisition holding companies. More precisely, Morrisons is held through Market Bidco Limited and Market Topco Limited, with CD&R Fund XI investment vehicles behind Market Topco. (GOV.UK)

What is Morrisons’ parent company?

The immediate parent company of Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited is Market Bidco Limited. Its latest available annual accounts identify Market Topco Limited as the ultimate parent and controlling party. (Morrisons)

Is the brand owner always the company operating or selling under the brand?

No. A brand can be owned by one company while another company acts as a licensee, franchise operator, retailer, distributor or site operator. The Morrisons petrol forecourt arrangement illustrates this distinction: MFG acquired the forecourt business while the sites continued using Morrisons branding under commercial arrangements with Morrisons. (Morrisons)

How can I verify who owns Morrisons?

Start with Companies House records for Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited and check the persons with significant control and latest accounts. Then use Morrisons’ corporate financial reports to trace its immediate and ultimate parent companies. For the original takeover, the CMA’s CD&R/Morrisons case provides an authoritative acquisition record. (Companies House)

Can Morrisons ownership change?

Yes. Private companies can be sold, reorganised or moved within a different holding-company structure. Ownership claims should therefore be checked against the latest Companies House filings, annual reports and official acquisition announcements rather than treated as permanent.

Where should I look next?

For supermarket comparisons, use the UK supermarket owners guide. For a wider ownership search, use the Brand Ownership Database or the brand parent company lookup to trace other brands and corporate groups.