Asda to open 150 non-food stores

Asda is planning to open 150 Asda Living stores as part of a non-food expansion in a bid to catch up with rival Tesco.

Asda Living stores
Asda Living stores

The supermarket also plans to open 100 smaller format stores.

The chain plans to open the stores over the next five years. It currently operates 24 Living stores.

The expansion plans were announced today at a Wal-Mart investor meeting in Leeds today.

The chain said in February that it would open different store formats and more non-food shops to drive growth.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Asda was looking to acquire the Home Retail group, which owns the Argos catalogue store chain and Homebase DIY chain.

In recent months, Asda has remodelled its Living stores by adding cafes and focussing on its George clothing range in an attempt to appeal beyond its traditional discount customers.

On Monday, it announced that CEO Andy Bond was stepping down from the position to take on the part time role of chairman.