With this Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd being dubbed as the busiest days on the roads, Asda is making sure all its 229 new Asda Express petrol forecourts are sufficiently stocked, for those looking for last minute gifts and travel essentials when driving home for Christmas.
Alcohol is being tipped by Asda as the most popular last minute gifting item, with the retailer expected to sell over 12,000 bottles of booze in its smaller format stores, with beer making up the most of this at over 9,000 boxes.
Asda is also planning to sell over 6,000 chocolate gifting items, including Cadbury Heroes, Milk Tray and Roses as well as Lindt classics such as the bear, santa, and balls.
Mince pies are also expected to be a popular gift, with the retailer planning to sell 7,000 boxes. The Asda Yule Logs, are predicted to sell well at 1,600 boxes.
Sales of these confectionery and alcohol lines are predicted to increase further on Christmas day, in the handful of stores open to the public on 25th.
And, covering off cold weather travel essentials, Asda Express stores are expecting to sell over 4,000 units of de-icer and ice scrapers in the days leading up to Christmas, as well as 9,000 pints of screen wash.
When it comes to stocking up on snacks for festive journeys, Asda has revealed the most popular items in different regions across the UK. According to weekly sales data, northerners are fans of a sweet treat, with Cadburys Dairy Milk being the most popular non-essential item.
In Central England, shoppers favour salty snacks, says Asda, with Walkers Crisps coming out on top, and for the Southeast, Coca-Cola tops the list.
Travellers in the Southwest seem to be much more health-conscious, it adds, shunning crisps and chocolates in favour of fruit, with their top snack revealed as a banana.
Earlier this year, Asda accelerated its move into the convenience market with the announcement that it had kicked off its conversion of 119 Co-op convenience stores and petrol stations.
The retailer also completed its acquisition of EG Group in October, which also sees 356 convenience stores on petrol forecourts be converted to Asda Expresses. The retailer has made significant progress on these conversions, with a record number of openings taking place in December.
