A retailer promising “top brands” and “bottom prices” was always primed to thrive during a cost-of-living squeeze. Annual turnover to 30 June 2024 grew to £4.2bn, while operating profit soared to £434m. This under-the-radar master of low prices has been helping shoppers make their money go further for nearly half a century. Initially called Home and Bargains, the discount chain began in Liverpool’s Old Swan district in 1976. There are now nearly 600 stores in the UK, a figure Morris intends to grow to between 800 and 1,000 in due course. Home Bargains consistently achieves profit margins of around 9 per cent. This is far above those achieved by mainstream supermarkets and is a testament to the efficiency with which Morris runs the operation. He employs more than 27,000 people and is almost certainly the wealthiest Liverpudlian in history.