Asda ramps up web offering

Supermarket chain will open its first virtual store

Asda is looking to take online market share of other rivals such as Tesco

Supermarket group Asda is set to launch its first virtual store in the UK later this year to exclusively serve its online customers.

The new store – effectively a shop with shelves but no tills and not open to walk-in customers – will be located in Yorkshire, and will supply all items bought by web shoppers living in the area. The move means online orders will no longer be fulfilled by having staff trawl the aisles of Asda superstores, as is currently the case in all other parts of the UK.

Asda, owned by US retail giant Wal-Mart, reported growth in like-for-like sales of 8.4 per cent in the three months to the end of March – ahead of its rivals Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

This is not the first virtual supermarket store to open in the UK – Tesco already has two dot-com shops, based on the same fulfilment model.