Asda bosses confirm that 'major' change is coming to 250 stores

Asda has announced a significant change to a common item found in all its stores across the UK. Supermarket bosses have today (October 3) confirmed plans to roll out electronic shelf edge labels (ESLs) across its largest and busiest Express convenience stores.

The move will see 250 stores adopt the new technology from VusionGroup and its partners, Renovotec and HL Display. The digital labels, which shoppers may recognise from being in every Aldi shop in the UK, were trialled for three months at Asda's Oxford Road Store in Manchester.

The trial allowed Asda colleagues to spend more time helping customers, managing deliveries, and replenishing shelves as the task of swapping outdated labels became a thing of the past. Approximately 2,800 separate electronic shelf edge labels will be added to stores, meaning colleagues will no longer need to manually replace pricing in-store.

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The technology also helps display allergen information at the shelf edge through QR codes, in addition to showing the cost, weight, and unit price of products. Asda recently announced it will launch up to 20 new Express stores before the end of the year as part of its convenience store opening programme. Each new Express store will feature the electronic shelf edge labels (ESLs) from day one, enhancing efficiency and customer experience.

Joseph Sutton, Vice President Asda Express, foodservice and fuel, said: “We’re continuing to invest in enhancing our stores, and the launch of cutting-edge technology across our Express estate is proof of this. By streamlining our instore operations, we can free up our colleagues to focus on what they do best - serving our customers."

Roy Horgan, CEO UK & Ireland - VusionGroup, said: "We are proud to be extending our partnership with Asda as they accelerate their digital transformation. This next phase is a testament to both Asda’s digital ambition and the strength of VusionGroup’s market-leading technologies. By combining ESLs with IoT innovation and data-rich insight, we are helping to transform the in-store experience for Asda customers and colleagues."

Asda shoppers might notice a few more changes as well in the near future. In a previous Mirror report, shoppers at some of the UK's biggest supermarkets were told that a significant transformation could be happening to the checkout within months if proposals to overhaul till operations are implemented.

In other supermarket news, shoppers will want to mark some specific dates on their calendars if they are keen to take advantage of any toy sales in the lead-up to Christmas. Most of the major chains have already launched their big deals, but some are yet to happen.

Some shops are offering as much as 50% off the original prices of certain items, while stocks last. Others are selling toys that cannot be bought anywhere else.