Asda is trying to win over mums with a new Baby Club and price promotions across the category in a bid to establish itself as “best for babies”.

The retailer said its baby offer had notched up a record year, with its market share at a high of 23% and sales up 16%.

It forecasted that sales would top £350m in 2010, with a £20m contribution from its current baby event, which kicked off this month and runs until 8 May. The promotion covers all sub-categories within the baby market, from food and nappies to accessories and car seats.

The retailer said new channels including Living and Asda Direct represented significant growth opportunities for the category.

“This is a really important area for us as the majority of our shoppers are mums,” said an Asda spokeswoman. “We’ve performed well across all baby lines and we’re planning much more activity this year.”

It has already soft launched Asda Baby Club with a link on its website for customers to sign up to receive news and offers.

It is planning to add extra elements to the site in order to raise its profile later this year, while an autumn campaign will feature the winner of a Beautiful Baby competition.

Last month Asda grabbed headlines with a promotion selling 48 own-label nappies for £1. In the first two weeks, the retailer said it sold almost a year’s worth of stock.

It rushed through an order for an extra 50,000 units after shelves were left empty due to unforeseen demand. Asda was forced to end the promotion earlier this month, as it was unable to keep up with demand.

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