Speaking at Asda’s annual Christmas showcase in London on Wednesday, President and Chief Executive Officer Roger Burnley revealed the supermarket’s seasonal ranges for Christmas 2019 and announced a selection of new trials and innovation projects that will be introduced by the supermarket over the coming months.
The annual Christmas in July event showcases the latest in new product development and innovation that will hit the shelves in time for the festive season, and provided the perfect backdrop to showcase Asda’s focus on driving innovation where customers care.
Acknowledging that shopper experience is just as important as price and product innovation, Mr Burnley pointed to examples of fresh thinking and a focus on trialling and testing ideas cultivated in the new Innovation Den - store investments, technology trials, new partnerships and test projects all form part of Asda’s approach to innovate in order to meet changing customer need.
Commenting on what customers can expect from Asda this Christmas, Mr Burnley said: “This year it’s all about making Christmas extra special for our customers through thoughtful innovation, creating a hassle-free shopping experience and winning on price. Customers want great value, great quality and great service and we’re committed to delivering all three. We are embracing innovation and will be delivering lots of new trials over the coming months.
“One example of this is our partnership with Just Eat that launched last year to deliver pizza direct to customers, which has been such a success that we are rolling it out to up to 50 stores by the end of the year. This project demonstrated how partnering with complimentary brands can enhance our offer to customers, as a result I am delighted to confirm that we’re extending our work with Just Eat to trial an express grocery delivery service from two stores. This will focus on delivering product to customers from around 100 essential lines within 30 minutes.
“We’re investing to innovate in our products, stores and services, and through innovation we’re ensuring the business has the ability and agility to continue to meet our customers’ needs now and into the future.”