Morrisons is being sued by Equans EV Solutions, a subsidiary of the French conglomerate Bouygues, over a £2.5 billion deal to sell its petrol forecourts.
Following the sale, Morrisons abandoned an EV charging agreement signed in 2019 with Equans.
This granted exclusive rights to install chargers at 273 of its forecourts.
The company is now seeking to block the forecourt disposal, alleging a breach of contract, according to The Sunday Times.
The sale aims to improve Morrisons’ balance sheet, burdened with £6.6 billion of debt after its 2022 acquisition by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, which also owns Motor Fuel Group (MFG).
The chance to install EV chargers was a key attraction for MFG in the forecourt deal.
By Morrisons abandoned the agreement, Equans had installed chargers at 260 sites.
In a High Court claim, Equans described Morrisons’ decision as “arbitrary, irrational, and capricious.”
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The firm seeks to prevent Morrisons from completing the forecourt sale to MFG and to affirm its exclusivity rights over the sites.
Additionally, Equans is pursuing damages from Morrisons.
However, Morrisons contends that no valid contract existed between the parties.
The supermarket claims that Equans consistently failed to meet target service levels, causing Morrisons significant losses, for which it seeks compensation.
Morrisons plans to file its defense by the end of the month.
