Wetherby Road Co-op in Knaresborough will close today (January 8) and then reopen as a new Asda Express store two days later.
The move is part of Asda’s long-term plan to expand into the convenience market and become the second largest UK supermarket.
Asda acquired 132 sites from the Co-op in a £438 million deal in 2022 and plans to open 300 sites by 2026.
The new store will become the second Asda Express in Knaresborough following the opening of the Boroughbridge Road branch last year.
Andy Perry, vice president of convenience at Asda, said:
“We’re incredibly excited to be bringing our Asda value and quality to the Knaresborough community with the conversion of the Co-op site. The roll out marks an incredibly exciting moment for our business and accelerates our presence in the fast-growing convenience market.”
A local Asda source, who asked not to be named, said:
“We have a full team that have all moved to Asda with a pay rise. Initially it will be mostly branded products and we may experience shortages for at least 10 weeks until Asda have enough sales data for accurate deliveries.
“Asda is the only major supermarket that currently doesn’t have a convenience range, so it’s a new concept for them too. We will have teething issues as with any new business but we urge our customers to be patient and look forward to seeing them on the other side.”
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Asda Express to open in Knaresborough tomorrow
A new Asda Express will open its doors in Knaresborough tomorrow.
It will replace the former Co-op on Boroughbridge Road following Asda’s plan to expand into the convenience market and become the UK’s second largest supermarket, behind Tesco.
As part of the plan, the supermarket chain announced last year it had acquired 132 Co-op stores on petrol forecourts in a £438m deal.
Andy Perry, managing director of convenience at Asda, said:
“This conversion programme is an incredibly exciting moment for our business and accelerates our presence in the fast-growing convenience market.
“We look forward to bringing Asda’s great value in fuel and groceries to many more communities across the UK and to welcoming over 2,000 former Co-op colleagues to the Asda family in the coming months.”
Asda opened its first express store in Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and London last year. The Knaresborough store is one of 14 to open this week.
It plans to open 300 sites by 2026.
The express store will offer hot and cold takeaway food from brands including Leon and household essentials, and the petrol station will remain in operation.
Asda Express will open its doors tomorrow Friday, November 3.
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Asda Express preparing to open in Knaresborough
Asda is preparing to open its first express store in Knaresborough.
The supermarket announced last year it had bought 132 Co-op stores located on petrol forecourts for its new convenience store venture.
The Co-op on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough was among those acquired.
Adverts have now appeared for staff at the site. They say successful applicants will initially be employed by Co-op before transferring to Asda on the same terms under TUPE rules.
Asda opened its first express stores in Sutton Coldfield and London last year and plans to have 300 sites operating by the end of 2026.
An Asda image of how its express stores will look.
The express stores sell hot and cold takeaway food from brands including Leon, plus £10 meal deals for two people.
Asda hopes its expansion into the convenience store market will help it achieve its goal of overtaking Sainsbury the UK’s second biggest supermarket behind Tesco.
The Stray Ferret asked Asda for further details of the Knaresborough store, including the opening date.
A spokesperson said it would be in touch as soon as it had more information to share.
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