Asda has added 100 in-store greengrocers to its existing offer, with the new in-store specialists now being bought in to improve the quality of the supermarket’s fresh food offer across 250 stores.
The new plans – which build on last September’s initial announcement – have been revealed by owners the Issa brothers, with 250 Asda branches now expected to have dedicated greengrocers in-store by the end of next month.
Previously, 150 specialist in-store greengrocers were to be introduced in stores across the UK as part of a £9m investment. However, Mohsin Issa has since told The Sunday Times that a further 100 branches will benefit from the in-store expertise.
The new greengrocer roles will be based on the shop floor, making sure they are on hand to support customers. They will also receive specialist training in all aspects of Asda’s fresh produce operation.
Read more: Asda targets Sainsbury’s UK’s second biggest supermarket position
“The fresh produce section is one of the most popular locations in our stores and more than half of our best-selling lines by volume are generated from this area,” said Asda’s managing director of fresh produce, Mike Snell.
“We know how proud our colleagues are about product quality and store standards and we are making this investment to enhance the experience our customers receive when shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables.”
The move is part of a wider shift towards improving Asda’s product quality and comes just weeks after Tesco closed more than 300 fresh counters instore, while Sainsbury’s also shut its in-store meat, fish, and deli counters due to “reduced consumer demand”.
Mohsin Issa said Asda was “happy to commit whatever we need” to reclaim its spot as the second-biggest UK supermarket.
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