"The shopping trip is everything": New Asda CEO makes it his first priority

Store managers to open more full-service checkouts, spend more time on the shop floor and get more product on shelves

The newly appointed Asda CEO, David Potts, has started his first official day in the role with a call to action for its 1,100 Store Managers, telling them to focus on fixing the things that matter most to customers shopping in its stores.

In a message to store managers across the country, David Potts asked them to focus on three fundamental areas that will make the biggest difference to the shopping trip:

Open more full-service checkouts so customers, especially those doing bigger shops can get help from a colleague when they need it.
Spend more time on the shop floor supporting colleagues, and making sure the store is in good shape for customers throughout the day.
Get more product on shelves and presented well so the things customers come in for are easy to see and pick-up.

Speaking from Asda’s store in Pudsey on his first day as CEO, David Potts said:

“More than anything Asda shoppers want great value which is why the business has invested to get back on the pitch when it comes to low prices. But visiting stores as a customer over the last few weeks has shown me we aren’t as focused on the rest of the shopping trip as we need to be.

“We’re making it harder than it should be for customers to get what they want, move around the store and pay for their shopping.

“We need to change that, starting now, which is why I’ve instructed all our General Store Managers to open more full-service checkouts, spend more time on the shopfloor and get more product on shelves and well-presented throughout the day.

“The shopping trip is everything and by making Asda easier to shop so customers can find what they came for and get through the checkouts easily, they’ll come back and shop more with us.

“I’ll be out in stores again this week and over the weekend listening to customers to see how we’re doing, and making sure our colleagues have what they need to deliver the improvements our customers expect.”