Store of the week: Asda Small Health

Congratulations on your first G33 win. Our shopper was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the staff. Thank you! Over the past year, we have put a real emphasis on our service and making sure the customer is at the heart of every decision. We want everybody who steps through our doors to become a regular so engaging them is key. This win is just as much for the workers, many of whom have been with us for many years.

Andy Clarke has spoken a lot about Asda’s stores of the future in recent weeks. Have you seen any changes? We had a remodel late last year. The store now has an enhanced health and beauty section, a new opticians, a refined George area and an area called the Baby Zone. All have been met really positively, with a noticeable rise in respective sales. It is all about offering the best possible omnichannel offer.

What exactly has been improved? The sections all use space a lot more efficiently. Health and beauty is 20% bigger and we have 2,000 new lines, including ethnic hair care products. The Baby Zone area provides a one-stop shop for everything from babyfood to toys. Both have been very successful with locals.

Has trading been hit since the storms and poor weather? No one wants to go out in torrential rain, do they? Yes, sales have been hit, but they’ve not been hit too badly. We’ve noticed customers changing the times they visit to shop around the weather. Umbrellas are also flying off the shelves.

With the 50p rollbacks at the start of the year, how have customers reacted to Asda’s price cuts? The price deals have been great. Just something like a cucumber for 50p can be the difference from stopping somebody from doing a full basket at Tesco down the road. Black Friday also went down well - it is all about doing something a little bit different.