The convenience-led Asda Express format, introduced in 2022 and rolled out at countless filling stations, has achieved a significant milestone, with 500 of the stores now open across the country.
The quintuple century was marked by the opening of two new Express stores, in Bradford and Salford, and is a testament to the firm’s “rapid growth” in the sector, which Asda says is focussed around “high-footfall urban areas, residential neighbourhoods, and transport hubs”, where the company used not to feature prominently.
Asda is majority owned by UK private-equity firm TDR Capital, with US giant Walmart having a 10% share, and the remaining 22.5% being held by Mohsin Issa of EG fame.
Back in 2023, Issa said the roll-out of the Express format was in response to the “fast-growing convenience market”, a trend led by a number of factors, including increasing urbanisation, the growth of hybrid working, and improved logistics and supply chains allowing smaller stores to stock more lines, and tailor their offerings to local demographics.
Asda says its Express stores offer over 3,000 different product lines, including bakery and food-to-go goods.
Joseph Sutton, vice president for Asda Express, foodservice and fuel, commented on the 500-store milestone: “In under five years, we’ve built a nationwide convenience estate of over 500 stores which is now outperforming the wider convenience market thanks to the combination of our great products and unbeatable value.”
