Is it a long walk from your local tube stop to the supermarket? Well fear not, London commuters: you won’t have to trek to the shops now that Asda is bringing grocery ‘click and collect’ services to the London Underground.
Car park collections
The world-first scheme, a partnership between Transport for London (TFL) and Asda, will offer same-day ordering (before noon) and collection (after 4pm) from car parks at six Underground stations: East Finchley, High Barnet, Harrow and Wealdstone, Highgate, Stanmore, and Epping. It starts on Monday (November 25), and involves picking up your groceries from an Asda van parked just outside the relevant station. If the initiative is well received, Asda said that it would replace the vans with installed lockers instead.
One of the benefits of the scheme is that London-based customers won’t have to pay premium prices to subsidise city centre retail space.
The move comes just days after Asda set out its five year strategic priorities, which included a major push into the London and South East market where it has lower awareness and fewer stores than its competitors. Asda plans to open 1,000 new ‘click and collect’ sites over the next five years, and has ambitions to increase the nation’s physical access to Asda services from 53% (the current level) to 70% by 2018.
Does Asda have the answer?
“Customers in the South East tell us that they want the prices and quality provided by Asda value but they can’t access it easily. This tie-up with TFL solves that,” explained Asda Retail Director, Mark Ibbotson. “We believe customers will value the convenience of collecting shopping at their home tube station rather than carrying the products bought in premium convenience stores on their commute home.”
The service will be available seven days a week with customers being able to order from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone via Asda.com.
Do you think Asda’s new scheme will work? Would you find it handy? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments box below…
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