Asda worker

Asda has completed the 534-store rollout of a new online shopping picking system for staff.

Store Assist debuted in January at the supermarket’s Wakefield store. The updated technology gives store pickers clearer screens, bigger product images and a single app for the picking process, “making this much simpler”.

Asda said the solution was already “proving popular” with staff – 26,000 of whom had now been trained on 10,000 updated devices.

The supermarket said in-store availability improved “as a result of colleagues being able to pick with just a touch of button”. The new system had boosted its store mapping accuracy to 99.4%, it added.

“We’re delighted to announce the completion of the rollout of our new online groceries picking solution, Store Assist, across the entire Asda estate,” said Matt Stretton, senior manager – retail future, at Asda. “This achievement reflects brilliant collaboration across the retail, tech, e-commerce and the online store assist teams, which has been instrumental as we continue to shape our brand new Asda digital landscape.”

The new Store Assist replaces a Walmart system, and is part of the supermarket’s Future Project, which involves the extraction of its technology from former owner Walmart.

Asda was sold by Walmart sale to TDR Capital and EG owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa in 2021. The supermarket has since created hundreds of new roles for the transformation project to disentangle its IT systems and processes from the US supermarket giant.

Last month it rolled out new checkout software, touchscreens and scanners across its estate as part of the project.

“Asda’s Future Programme is part of the biggest transformation in our history, converting over 24 years of Walmart systems and processes to a new and independent way of operating,” said Kevin Besford, Asda senior director of retail transformation at the time.