Supermarket giant Asda, owned by Blackburn's billionaire Issa brothers, has announced a record number of shop openings this month.

Asda opened 81 new Asda Express stores in December in a bid to “bring Asda value to even more communities” ahead of Christmas.

The conversions of its recent acquisition of Co-op and EG UK sites, alongside the opening of eight standalone Asda Express stores, brings the total number of Asda Express sites to 229 nationwide – with the rest of the 254 sites due to convert in the first quarter of 2024.

Asda, owned by Mohsin and Zuber Issa’s EG Group, is on track to have 1,000 stores across the UK and Northern Ireland by March 2024, the highest number in its 58-year history.

The latest openings include Asda’s first convenience store in Manchester city centre and three new London stores in Romford, Acton and Ealing.

Asda plans to open a further 11 Asda Express stores in the capital next year.

The new Asda Express stores stock up to 3,000 branded and own-label products, including ‘top up’ shops for essential items such as milk and bread, grabbing lunch on the go or cooking dinner from scratch.

Andy Perry, managing director of convenience at Asda, said: “It has been a Herculean effort by the teams involved in our Asda Express roll out to convert 81 stores in one month as part of our commitment to bringing Asda’s great value offer to even more communities.

“Expansion into the growing convenience market is a key pillar of our long-term strategy to become the UK’s second largest supermarket retailer – and we know how important Asda’s great value is to families managing cost of living pressures – especially in the run up to Christmas. 

“As we head into 2024 it is incredibly exciting to see the continued roll out of Asda Express stores into more communities – meaning customers will be able to access Asda amazing value and quality in more locations than ever in its proud history.”