Budding businesses 'with a great idea or a great product' are being offered the chance to sell their goods in hundreds of supermarkets thanks to a Dragons Den-style scheme one retailer has launched.

Morrisons is planning to turn some of its much-coveted aisle space over to entrepreneurs and businesses who have products it believes would appeal to a much wider audience.

The Growing British Brands initiative is offering home-grown companies a fast-tracked route to a national platform with the supermarket retailer.

Alongside the potential to sell to Morrisons vast customer base in all of its 497 stores there will also be the opportunity for listings in other parts of the business including with Morrisons.com and wholesale channels like Amazon.

To support emerging British businesses, Morrisons has also assembled a team of experts to find brands with 'game-changing, innovative products' that need a helping hand to get to a main stage.

Brands who think they have what it takes and are accepted onto the scheme will be supported by a team of retail experts who will then be on hand with all the help and advice needed.

Morrisons says it will offer promotional plans and favourable payment terms to help these businesses 'scale-up'.

Entrepreneurs with products ranging from food and drink to beauty and homewares are all being encouraged to apply.

David Potts, Morrisons CEO, said the company was ready to utilise its platform and experience to help smaller companies reach a wider audience.

He explained: "There are thousands of people with great ideas, but getting them to market at scale is often a long, risky and complicated process.

"Morrisons started with just one shop over 100 years ago and is now one of Britain’s biggest retailers. We know and understand the entrepreneurial spirit and want to play our full part in helping the next generation of British brands quickly reach national distribution.

“For too long, small businesses have lacked the opportunity and perhaps confidence to scale up a great idea capable of supplying hundreds of stores at serious volumes. We hope that this programme can provide the support, guidance and confidence for great brands with great products to lift their horizons, to think big and to reach new customers all around Great Britain.”

The Growing British Brands initiative is not the first time Morrisons has tried to showcase the work of smaller firms.

In 2017 it launched its Local Foodmakers programme, which aims to uncover suppliers who have the ability to be stocked nationwide. That work has has since launched over 1,300 products from local growers and producers.

To learn more about the Growing British Brands initiative and how to put yourself or your company forward please click here.

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