Asda prepares to open two convenience stores in Manchester and Salford

Supermarket chain, Asda, will open the first of its standalone convenience stores in the region next week with two openings in Manchester and Salford.

The Asda Express stores roll-out will create 41 jobs between the two new openings.

Next Tuesday (December 5), Asda will be opening an Asda Express store inside two railway arches on Chapel Street, Salford.

The following day, the retailer will open its second site at the Circle Square development on Oxford Road in Manchester.

The new stores will offer customers more than 3,000 products designed to meet a number of different shopping missions.

The Oxford Road store will provide a strong food-to-go range designed to serve students looking to grab a quick lunch, and Chapel Street will offer a range of fresh ingredients and pre-prepared meals for residents to pick up after work.

Both stores will offer a comprehensive range of fresh, ambient and chilled groceries, as well as a broad selection of beers, wines and spirits.

They will also provide a variety of services to customers including a Costa Coffee machine, Krispy Kreme counter, an ATM and Lotto.

The Chapel Street store will be open between 6am-11pm, Monday-Sunday and the Oxford Road store will be open between 6am-12pm, Monday-Sunday.

The roll-out of Asda Express is part of Asda’s long term strategy to become the UK’s second largest supermarket by establishing a presence in the fast growing convenience sector. Asda plans to launch a further 300 standalone Express stores by the end of 2026.

Andy Perry, senior director of wholesale and convenience at Asda, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be opening our first standalone Asda Express stores in Manchester and Salford in December and we’re confident the stores will offer customers everything they need at great prices.

“We’re also delighted to be welcoming 41 new colleagues to the Asda family and thank them for their hard work so far in bringing our convenience vision to life.”

Last month, Asda accelerated its move into the convenience market with the launch of a programme to convert 119 convenience stores acquired from the Co-op last year.

The retailer also completed its acquisition of Blackburn-based EG Group UK in October, which will see a further 356 convenience stores on petrol forecourts converted to Asda Express.

The Chapel Street store opening forms part of property owners, The Arch Company’s, efforts to breathe new life into what were once vacant or derelict spaces.

Craig McWilliam, CEO of The Arch Company, said: “Our recent investment in this parade of arches forms part of Project 1000, our £200m plan to bring one thousand vacant or derelict spaces back into use by 2030, of which nearly £10m is earmarked for Manchester and Salford.”

Asda will also join a number of new signings at the Circle Square development just off Oxford Road, including Mr Su’s, HIT and Monkey Trio, further enhancing the area’s reputation as a leading live, work and leisure destination.

Circle Square is a joint venture between Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech that has seen the area transformed into a thriving mixed-use community.