Asda to open 300 Express stores by 2026

Asda plans to open 300 more Express stores over the next four years, in a move it said could create 10,000 new convenience store jobs.

The supermarket opened its second Asda Express store this week at a time when sales in c-stores overall are forecast to grow by 13% to over £50bn by 2027. Asda said the development of a store network in this market is a key part of its long-term growth strategy to become the UK’s second-largest supermarket.

Asda wants to bring the Express concept to customers in convenient neighbourhood and residential settings, particularly those areas where there is not an Asda store nearby. The second Express store to open is part of a residential development in Tottenham Hale, north London, adjacent to the Tube and overground station.

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 - a deal that is currently going through the CMA’s competition review process.

Range of customer needs

Each Asda Express store is designed to cater for a broad range of customer needs, including top-up shops for essential items such as milk and bread, grabbing lunch on the go, or buying the fresh ingredients to cook dinner from scratch.

The stores will stock around 3,000 products, including a comprehensive range of fresh, ambient and chilled groceries, as well as products from Asda’s premium Extra Special range and a broad selection of beers, wines and spirits.

There will also be a range of hot and cold ‘food for now’ options from Asda and partner brands including Leon, plus ‘food for later’ choices such as ready meals, pizzas, stir fries and a selection of £10 meal deals for two people. 

Mohsin Issa, Asda’s co-owner said: “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. 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.”