Asda has announced its plans to push forward its clothing brand George, to overtake Primark as the UK’s top clothing retailer.

A report by The Telegraph revealed that the supermarket retailer plans to drive its turnaround strategy by pushing forward George. Asda announced plans to renovate up to 100 stores to give the apparel items more prominence.

The news comes on the heels of Asda posting a weak performance from last year, with a £600m loss; however, George reported a 3.5% increase in sales in the first quarter. George provides a rare bright spot for the financially struggling supermarket giant.

Liz Evans, managing director of George, shared Asda’s goal of achieving the position of largest clothing retailer by volume in the UK, ahead of Primark. George is currently the third largest clothing retailer by volume, behind fashion retailer Next.

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“That’s the long-term goal,” she said. “We’re number one on volume when it comes to kids, but why can’t it be possible overall?”

Evans believes there is renewed “clarity, belief and teamwork” since Allan Leighton, Asda’s chairman, took the helm of the company.

Evans added: “What feels different now is that we’re getting back to understanding our customers. We started with Asda prices, and then we had a relentless focus on fixing availability. We have made staggering progress, but there is still a lot to do.

“We’ve invested back into hours and the stores, and you can feel it. Allan has referenced the turnaround as Everest, and he’s right. We’re at the start of the recovery.”

However, Evans acknowledges the declining performance in particular sections of the George brand.

“When I joined, it wasn’t a broken business,” she said. “But candidly, what I would say is that it hasn’t been as strong in recent years in adult clothing, particularly in women’s wear. But if I look at what we’re delivering now, then imagine what we can do when we really get the momentum behind the Asda brand.”

The push for expansion of the brand comes after George opened the doors to its first standalone store in Leeds in April this year. Its first location features an expanded collection of women’s, men’s and children’s apparel.