Asda is to increase the number of staff on manned checkouts as it has the balance “just about right” with self-checkouts, and scan and go.

Chief financial officer Michael Gleeson said yesterday (8 July) that the supermarket giant will be “improving service” for customers who choose to use manned checkouts.

However, he added that self-checkouts do work well in its stores and that Asda has no plans to modify the number currently available.

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“What we’re not doing is changing the mix of checkouts between manned checkouts, scan and go, and self-checkouts. We will simply be manning more of the already available manned checkouts for longer, so it’s improving service for those who choose to use the manned checkouts,” Gleeson explained.

It comes as Asda has unveiled a plan to deliver a “more consistent experience” in its stores after a decline in sales over the second quarter.

For the remainer of the year, the grocer will focus on three key priorities: customer satisfaction, enhanced product availability and a renewed trading plan.

This will include plans to enhance availability across all categories, including 1,000 core grocery lines, as well as investing an additional £30m in colleague hours to improve the replenishment of stock during opening hours in store, increase the number of colleagues on checkouts at the weekend, and improving cleaning in store.