Asda aims to “bring joy back to its stores” by rolling out a swathe of “light-hearted” experiential retail initiatives.
It will see the revival of “90s icon” Daisy the cow to its dairy section, model chickens and the return of a “bakery bell” that chimes when fresh bakes are ready.
The “nostalgic additions” come alongside a range of store improvements announced as part of Asda’s Take A Fresh Look campaign last week, which aims to encourage shoppers to return to its stores.
The new experiential features launched in its Killingbeck store in Leeds this week. Asda planned to roll the features out to more stores later in the year.
Model animals – including the “life-sized” Daisy and the chickens – were a regular feature in Asda stores throughout the nineties, until their removal in the early noughties. They were a popular feature with children, and often featured buttons causing the animal to moo or cluck when pressed.
The revived Daisy doesn’t have the mooing feature and instead stands on top of the milk fridges. The chickens meanwhile are perched on top of a newly thatched egg section. Asda has also introduced a new palm tree model and parrot feature which sits above a free-standing banana display.
“A key part of ‘Take a Fresh Look’ is bringing back the Asda personality customers know and love, so it feels fitting that the return of Daisy and friends is happening in the heart of Yorkshire,” said Asda chief customer officer Rachel Eyre.
“From small touches like this at Killingbeck, to creating a more welcoming in-store experience through new product launches, the return of greengrocers, and unbeatable everyday value, it’s great to see such a positive response from our customers.”
Asda needs to address poor store standards
The return of Rollback and its associated value campaign following Allan Leighton’s return last year helped Asda reclaim its crown as the cheapest supermarket in the Grocer 33. However, it has failed to deliver a significant bounce in footfall – Asda’s sales fell by a further 3.0% in May according to the latest Worldpanel figures.
Asda regularly scores last in the service and availability, and with Take a Fresh Look, Leighton and Eyre are rolling the dice in a bid to raise its inconsistent store standards. It is the first major store improvement campaign launched since Eyre joined the business in September.
Asda aimed to improve choice and availability of its fresh and frozen categories in particular, and has introduced the in-store changes alongside a wave of 400 new products. It is also retuning dedicated greengrocer colleagues to aisles, and is planning a range of loyalty enhancements.
Daisy’s return is not the first time Leighton has sought to revive features that were popular during his first spell at Asda. Earlier this year the ‘Tell Allan’ feedback channel was revived in a bid to encourage staff to share ideas on how Asda can be improved.
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