Asda to invest £400m in expansion

The grocer will open between 10 and 12 superstores, and 10 Living stores as well as carry out 12 extensions to existing outlets.

The expansion, which begins with the opening of a store at Andover in Hampshire in March, will add more than 800,000 sq ft to the retailer’s estate.

This year, Asda will also unveil its latest high-efficiency store in Bootle, Merseyside. The 40,000 sq ft,£16 million town centre store will open in November. The timber-framed store has a host of sustainable features, including recycled bricks, a recycled aluminium roof, rainwater harvesting and natural lighting. The store will be more than 50 per cent more energy efficient than a typical Asda store.

Asda will also continue to roll out its in-store pharmacies, opening a further 50 to increase its numbers from 147 to almost 200.

Home shopping will be expanded to a further 40 stores, rolling out the service to more than 95 per cent of UK postcodes. The retailer’s online catalogue business, Asda Direct, will also expand its non-food offer from more than 700,000 items to in excess of 1 million. Asda estimates that by 2011 the online business will be generating more than£1 billion sales a year.

Asda’s store openings, extensions and business expansion will create more than 9,000 jobs.

Asda chief financial officer Judith McKenna said: “This major investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to bringing low prices and fantastic service to even more people across the UK.

“We have an impressive track record of regenerating areas at the edge of and in town centres throughout the UK, showing our ongoing commitment to local communities.”
As well as the Andover store, expansion plans for 2008 include launches in Kent, Dalgety Bay in Scotland and Bridgend in Mid Glamorgan.