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Retail

Asda Gears Up For Multichannel Christmas, Records Slight Sales Increase

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Asda Gears Up For Multichannel Christmas, Records Slight Sales Increase

Walmart-owned Asda anticipates 75% of its shoppers to engage in multichannel shopping this Christmas, compared with 57% over the 2012 Christmas season and 29% in 2011.

The retailer expects 'click and collect' to be a popular fulfillment method for shoppers this year, as many shoppers do not wish to wait at home for ordered items to be delivered.

Asda already offers click and collect services for grocery services in 100 stores, and plans to more than double this, bringing the total to 250.

Non-food click and collect is available in all stores via counters. Collection lockers are currently being trialled at 20 stores.

Innovations in this area include the launch of a same day grocery collection service at its Wakefield store this month – a first in UK grocery retail.

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According to Asda, the retailer is 'maximising its relationship with parent company Walmart, to bring new in-store and technology innovations to the UK'.

The Leeds-based retailer announced today that like-for-like sales for the 12 weeks ended July 5 - excluding fuel and VAT - had grown by 0.7% during its second quarter. The retailer's period of reporting did not include the month of July, when British retail sales rose at their fastest annual rate in over two years, as a heatwave significantly boosted sales of outdoor items and barbecue foodstuffs.

"We're pleased with our results in a tough market. We continued to grow our sales while also investing in holding down the price of essentials," Asda chief executive Andy Clarke said today, 15 August.

He added, “Our focus on opening up more ways for more customers to shop with us, particularly in areas currently underserved by Asda, provides us with real opportunity to grow space and channels to adapt our business to today’s customer."

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© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney

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