Asda is preparing to open its first express store in Knaresborough.
The supermarket announced last year it had bought 132 Co-op stores located on petrol forecourts for its new convenience store venture.
The Co-op on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough was among those acquired.
Adverts have now appeared for staff at the site. They say successful applicants will initially be employed by Co-op before transferring to Asda on the same terms under TUPE rules.
Asda opened its first express stores in Sutton Coldfield and London last year and plans to have 300 sites operating by the end of 2026.
An Asda image of how its express stores will look.
The express stores sell hot and cold takeaway food from brands including Leon, plus £10 meal deals for two people.
Asda hopes its expansion into the convenience store market will help it achieve its goal of overtaking Sainsbury the UK’s second biggest supermarket behind Tesco.
The Stray Ferret asked Asda for further details of the Knaresborough store, including the opening date.
A spokesperson said it would be in touch as soon as it had more information to share.
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Harrogate McColl’s to reopen as Morrisons Daily
A Harrogate convenience store is set to close temporarily next week for refitting and rebranding works.
The McColl’s shop on Royal Parade, opposite the Royal Pump Room Museum, will close at noon on Tuesday, September 12 and reopen 10 days later as a Morrisons Daily. The changes will include complete rebranding and alterations to the internal layout of the shop.
The new-look store is due to reopen at 7am on Friday, September 22.
A Morrisons spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:
“The new Morrisons Daily fresh food convenience store in Harrogate will offer customers a carefully tailored mix of Morrisons own-brand products alongside branded favourites.
“As well as new ranges, the store will receive a complete redesign internally and externally, incorporating Morrisons bright, modern branding. Fresh food is at the heart of the store, and we hope customers will love it.”
The revamp of the Royal Parade shop is part of a rolling programme of works, as McColl’s shops are converted into Morrisons Daily stores following the acquisition of McColl’s by Morrisons last year.
McColl’s had 1,164 shops when it was bought out of administration by Morrisons in May 2022. Of these, Morrisons said it would sell off 132 which were loss-making, including the one on Harlow Hill. The rest – such as the Bilton store, which was converted last year – are to be rebranded as Morrisons Daily stores.
In a second-quarter trading update issued in June, Morrisons said the 400 stores it has converted so far had seen increased sales. It added that it now has almost 650 Morrisons Daily stores across the UK, and expects to have almost 1,000 by the end of the year.
Read more:
- Councillor says Harrogate McColl’s closure has led to resurgence for independents
- Bilton’s McColl’s to rebrand as Morrisons Daily
- Future of Harrogate district McColl’s in question