Asda is on course to miss its ‘On The Move’ store target by over 130 sites as it focuses on launching its own standalone convenience brand under the new Asda Express brand.
In last September’s trading update, the supermarket giant said it aimed to have 200 ‘On The Move’ stores across the UK by the end of 2023. However, despite opening approximately one new site every two weeks for most of this year, it has fallen short of this by a significant margin.
There are currently 65 Asda ‘On the Move’ stores located on garage forecourts across the UK, all owned and operated by EG Group. An additional three stores will be launching in Scotland and Dorset over the coming weeks.
The delay in the rollout process was attributed to operational difficulties within the planning and refitting process, as well as technological challenges inherited from the old Walmart systems.
An Asda spokesman added: “We have opened an average of one Asda on The Move store every two weeks this year, creating more opportunities for customers to shop for Asda products in convenient roadside and neighbourhood locations.
“We are continuing to work closely with colleagues at EG Group to roll out this new format to more of its forecourts.”
An EG Group spokesperson said the business had been “very encouraged by the positive customer response”, adding that it has “significantly increased” its rate of store openings since the spring.
They also said that the business continues to work closely with Asda and “looks forward to continuing the roll out of this format across the rest of EG’s UK forecourt network”.
The failure to hit the target comes as Asda announced its plans to open 32 standalone ‘Asda Express’ convenience stores over the coming year as it moves to overtake Sainsbury’s as the UK’s second-largest supermarket.
The first two stores will open at Sutton Coldfield on 8 November and Tottenham Hale, London, on 6 December, with plans for another 30 sites, creating about 500 new roles, next year.
Asda has also just completed the acquisition of 132 Co-op forecourts to further bolster its convenience and wholesale offering.
