Asda On the Move Livingston

Asda opened a record 81 new convenience stores this month, with the retailer saying it is on track to have 1,000 c-stores across the UK and Northern Ireland by March.

The conversions of its recent acquisition of Co-op and EG UK sites, alongside the opening of eight standalone Asda Express stores, brings the total number of Asda Express sites to 229 nationwide.

The latest openings include Asda’s first convenience store in Manchester city centre and three new London stores in Romford, Acton and Ealing. Asda plans to open a further 11 Express stores in the capital next year, as it looks to grow its footprint in an area in which it has traditionally been under-represented.

Addressing Asda’s gap in the growing convenience market was made a pillar of the retailer’s strategy after its acquisition by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital in 2021.

“It has been a Herculean effort by the teams involved in our Asda Express rollout to convert 81 stores in one month as part of our commitment to bringing Asda’s great value offer to even more communities,” said Andy Perry, MD of convenience at Asda.

“Expansion into the growing convenience market is a key pillar of our long-term strategy to become the UK’s second-largest supermarket retailer – and we know how important Asda’s great value is to families managing cost of living pressures – especially in the run-up to Christmas.

“As we head into 2024 it is incredibly exciting to see the continued rollout of Asda Express stores into more communities – meaning customers will be able to access Asda’s amazing value and quality in more locations than ever in its proud history.”