Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Supermarket chain Asda has announced it is extending its superstore trials to eight more stores.
The soon-to-be remodelled superstores follow pilots in Grantham and Coventry where the retailer has aimed to create ‘scalable destination stores that reflect today’s changing shopper habits’.
The overhauled stores, which feature innovations alongside ideas from parent company Walmart, have been designed to ‘improve the overall shopping experience and bring together the retailer’s online and offline offer seamlessly’.
Asda president and ceo Andy Clarke said: “It’s no secret that the way customers shop is changing – they’re leading the charge and it’s only right that we respond to them. They’re telling us what they want from big stores and we’re weaving that into our offer. This also means the stores won’t be a carbon copy of each other, it’s not a case of one size fits all, but it is scalable; it is pragmatic; and it is responsive.”
The eight remodels are Hatfield, High Wycombe, Carlisle, Gravesend, Blackburn, Norwich, Cwmbran and Bridge of Dee and will include features such as in-store order points so customers can browse and shop the entire George, George Home and non-food collections, backed up by dedicated Click and Collect areas in-store or Drive-Thru Click and Collect zones.
As demand for Click and Collect continues to grow, with more than 20,000 Asda customers using the service each week, the newly revamped stores have a new designated fast lane, signposted from the car park, which enable customers to pick up online purchases from a new Drive-Thru Click and Collect zone. Asda’s online operation is already worth £1 billion and is expected to grow into a £3 billion business by 2018.
In addition, more space has been allocated to the George and George Home brands, effectively creating stores within a store. These revamped areas feature a fashion catwalk with mannequins showing the latest trends and George Home inspiration areas.
The superstore remodelling programme is part of Asda’s five-year strategy to redefine value retailing in the UK. The strategy is built on three key pillars: improving Asda’s core business by investing into price, quality and stores of the future; increasing access and reach to Asda through a combination of physical stores and online innovation; and expanding into new markets including London and the South East.
