Asda has opened 81 new Asda Express stores during December, the most the supermarket has opened in a month.

The store openings include conversions of recently acquired Co-op and EG UK stores as well as eight standalone Asda Express stores.

The supermarket chain now has 229 express stores in the UK, with plans to convert 254 sites by the end of the first quarter of 2024, bringing the total number of stores to 1000 across the UK and Northern Ireland by March 2024.

The latest openings include Asda’s first convenience store in Manchester city centre and three new London stores in Romford, Acton and Ealing.

The company said it plans to open a further 11 Express stores in London next year.

The supermarket retailer bought 132 Co-op retail sites with attached petrol stations for £438 million last year, later opening 11 convenience stores at the former sites.

“It has been a Herculean effort by the teams involved in our Asda Express roll out to convert 81 stores in one month as part of our commitment to bringing Asda’s great value offer to even more communities,” said Andy Perry, managing director of convenience at Asda. “Expansion into the growing convenience market is a key pillar of our long-term strategy to become the UK’s second largest supermarket retailer – and we know how important Asda’s great value is to families managing cost of living pressures – especially in the run up to Christmas.

“As we head into 2024 it is incredibly exciting to see the continued roll out of Asda Express stores into more communities – meaning customers will be able to access Asda amazing value and quality in more locations than ever in its proud history.”

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