Asda has set up a technology unit at its Leeds office to monitor Walmart’s websites and allow it to fix technical issues five times faster.

Technicians at the centre can observe the volume of users and transactions on a bank of screens in a semi-circle that allows them to quickly identify problems, according to The Daily Mail.

There are two other similar Walmart centres globally that have been set up to allow Walmart to monitor its websites 24/7.

Andy Clarke revealed the mission control operation hub will monitor Asda’s web network for an eight-hour period before handing responsibilities over to the next centre.

Asda has been building the hub secretly in order to control Walmart’s existing 11 websites and launched it on Friday.

If any problems are identified the technicians can alert support teams located around the world to fix the issue.

Taking on the discounters

Clarke also revealed the company will significantly step up price cuts next year as it takes on discounters Aldi and Lidl.

This year Asda has invested £300m in price cuts and last year announced it would invest £1bn over five years.

Clarke described the £150m in price cuts that Sainsbury’s unveiled a fortnight ago as a “drop in the ocean”.

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