Wal-Mart's Asda Delays London Store Expansion
19 Oktober 2015 - 4:31PM
Dow Jones News
By Saabira Chaudhuri
Asda, the U.K. supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.,
on Monday moved to delay store expansion in London and scale back
its "click-and-collect" program as the retailer works to
reinvigorate its physical store base and fend off a pair of
discounters that have badly squeezed its sales.
The announcement marks a retrenchment by Asda, which vies with J
Sainsbury PLC for the position of Britain's second-biggest retailer
after Tesco PLC. Following a period of slumping sales during which
Asda's market share has been eroded by cheaper rivals the company
said it would slow its planned store expansion in London and won't
develop more stand-alone gas stations, following a February
purchase of 15 gas stations.
"We need to simplify what we do by prioritizing the first line
of our strategy, improving our core business, and pausing activity
in other areas so that we are not spread too thinly," Chief
Executive Officer Andy Clarke said.
Asda had previously targeted 1,000 click-and-collect sites--or
ones from which customers can collect groceries ordered online--by
the end of 2018, up from the 650 it currently has across the U.K. A
spokesman on Monday said Asda won't be opening more
click-and-collect sites in tube stations, universities, and other
locations not attached to stores.
The retailer will accelerate plans to refurbish 95 of its large
stores and will spend more money on offering customers lower
prices, a move it said was aimed at strengthening its position
against the discounters.
"We do have a well-documented problem with sales at the moment,"
said the spokesman. "This is about how do we best return the
business to sales growth but they've got to be profitable
sales."
German discounters Aldi and Lidl have been steadily gaining
market share from traditional supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco
with low prices on a narrow range of mostly private label goods.
Mr. Clarke on Monday noted that "the market is clearly undergoing
permanent and rapid structural change."
The announcement comes after Wal-Mart last week predicted it
would drop as much as 12% next year as the retail giant, based in
Bentonville, Ark., puts money into improving stores, boosting
online sales and increasing wages. Asda's click-and-collect program
is being watched closely by Wal-Mart, which has been testing the
format for its U.S. business.
An Asda spokesman said Monday's move "wasn't a directive from
Bentonville" but that Wal-Mart was "supportive" of its decision to
change course. The company will eliminate several noncore divisions
including its business sales arm.
The company in August reported a 4.7% fall in same-store sales
in the second quarter, with Mr. Clarke blaming the results on what
he described as "the worst storm in retail history." Mr. Clarke at
the time said Asda would change a five-year strategy it had laid
out in 2013 to reflect changes in customer shopping habits.
Write to Saabira Chaudhuri at saabira.chaudhuri@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 19, 2015 10:16 ET (14:16 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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