A message from Stuart and Rob - Putting Ourselves Back in the Service of our Customers
Asda has seen much change over the last three years as we seek to build a bigger and better business. The rollout of Asda Express, the creation of Asda Rewards and the investment in the Future programme are key examples.
Over the last two months, we have, alongside the Executive Team, reviewed our progress. We have to recognise that the market is challenging and the competition isn’t standing still. With the Future programme due to be completed in 2025, it is now time to ensure that the business is best placed to meet our longer-term ambitions.
We have rightly taken the decision to invest in our stores, focus on improved availability, enhanced customer experience, alongside a stronger trade plan. We must now deliver a more flexible and fast-moving Home Office structure to support those priorities and put us firmly back in the service of our customers.
As part of this process, we are redefining roles and accountabilities to remove duplication and simplify structures. We need colleagues to be more empowered in their decision making as we deliver for customers. Additionally, we want you to have more fulfilling roles and feel supported in your career development.
To drive these priorities and to bring us closer to our stores and depots, we are delivering:
• Fewer, bigger roles.
• Clear accountabilities and ownership.
• Simplified ways of working, using our new technology.
• Effective processes and cross-functional touch points.
Sadly, as a result, some colleagues will be leaving the business this week, whilst others will be considering new roles and responsibilities. Change is never easy and is unsettling, but the Executive Team believe it is necessary to enter 2025 in a stronger position, fully focused on serving our customers, delivering our ambitions and driving long-term growth.
You told us in our Your Voice survey that you wanted to speed up decision making, improve communication and get better clarity on our strategy. To deliver this and encourage better collaboration and collective problem-solving, we are also today amending our Work Where it Works guidance.
From January 2025, we will be requiring every Home Office colleague to be present in an Asda office location - Asda House, George House, Britannia House - for a minimum of three days per week. By exception, an office location can be the office of a third party provider, or hub space within a designated Asda store with advance agreement of your SVP. Over and above this commitment, each SVP will set out the expectation of their function. For some colleagues, this will require fixed days and/or more days in an Asda office location in line with business needs. This will be pro-rated for part-time colleagues.
We will soon start refreshing Asda House to improve the working environment, including a better catering offer, an onsite Asda Express, a more welcoming atrium, more meeting spaces, quiet space working pods, upgraded toilets, new chairs and redecoration.
We will send you more information on the Work Where It Works guidance later today.
This approach brings us in line with our competitors and the wider market, allowing us to build high-performing teams with a collaborative culture and respond to what our business needs the most. We remain incredibly proud of our flexible working policies and continue to promote these to support our teams to balance effective hybrid working and the power of being together.
Finally, to bring Home Offices closer to our stores and depots, we are launching our Better Together principles to realign our home offices as true support centres in the service of our stores, so that we continue to be all colleagues, together one team. We will also be sharing more detail on this shortly.
We want to place on record our thanks to all those colleagues who are leaving us this week, as well as those remaining as we move forwards.
Stuart Rose & Rob Hattrell
Chairman & Board Member