Asda to open 300 new C-stores by 2026

Supermarket group Asda is set to open 300 convenience stores, creating 10,000 new jobs in the next four years, stated a recent report, adding that with the move, the group is set to grab a bigger share of the grocery market. 

The retailer, which is controlled by the billionaire Issa brothers and private equity firm TDR Capital, currently has just two Asda Express stores – in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and Tottenham Hale, in north London- and is planning to have 30 such stores by next year October.  

The supermarket has now confirmed its plans to open 300 more by the end of 2026. The group, the UK’s third largest grocer after Tesco and Sainsbury’s, added that it had found locations for more openings in Wiltshire, Essex and Surrey. Each Asda Express store will stock around 3,000 products, including a range of fresh, ambient and chilled groceries, as well as products from Asda’s premium Extra Special range and a selection of beers, wines and spirits. 

Shoppers will also be able to buy a range of hot and cold takeaway food options from Asda and partner brands including Leon. 

“A key part of our growth strategy is to provide customers with more opportunities to shop at Asda closer to where they live or work. With more than three quarters of the UK population visiting a convenience store in the last 12 months, the potential for growth in this market is significant,” Mohsin Issa, Asda’s co-owner, said. 

“Our ambition is to become the convenience destination of choice by providing shoppers great value and a comprehensive and convenient range of products and services under one roof,” he added. 

Some stores will offer also offer parcel collection, return services and a grocery delivery service through Uber Eats. 

The supermarket said that with sales in convenience stores forecast to grow by 13 per cent to over £50bn by 2027, the development of a store network in this market “is a key part of Asda’s long-term growth strategy to become the UK’s second largest supermarket.” 

The target of 300 Asda Express stores by the end of 2026 does not include the convenience stores Asda is acquiring from the Co-op. This deal is currently going through the CMA’s normal competition review process.