Evolve, which provides network solutions and other IT services to the forecourt and convenience sector as well as other industries, is hailing what it calls its “pivotal role” in the transition of 116 forecourts from the Co-op to Asda, after they were acquired by the supermarket group for £438 million in 2022.
The Wigan-based company says that after the acquisition – which was cleared by the Competition & Markets Authority last year – Asda “faced the challenge of delivering a seamless and efficient user experience at these new locations” which it branded under its Express stores banner.
Evolve’s chief executive Alan Stephenson-Brown says challenges included working to a tight deadline to install services such as SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network), guest wi-fi, and connectivity to third parties such as point-of-sale vendors.
Asda technology senior manager for Express stores says the project entailed setting up sites to run on 4G/5G temporarily to ensure they remained operational. “Evolve managed the entire project from start to finish,” he says. “We now have a new tech stack that’s been specifically designed with point of sale and all other connectivity-dependent elements in mind.”
Asda says that the systems allow it to “collect valuable data and analytics for more informed decision-making and tailor offerings”.
Asda – which is owned by Mohsin Issa and TDR Capital, with previous owner Walmart retaining a minority share – began converting the forecourts and convenience stores to the Asda Express brand in mid-2023 with a target of completing the transition by the first quarter of this year. It originally acquired 132 sites but agreed to divest 13 to satisfy competition requirements.
