Walmart today released its Q3 earnings for the fiscal year ending January 2012. Full details are available on the Walmart Investor Relations website at www.walmartstores.com/investors. In the analyst conference call, Walmart references Asda’s performance for the calendar quarter July-September 2011 where sales grew over the quarter by 1.3 per cent, excluding fuel and VAT.

On the call, Walmart International President and CEO said the following about Asda:

“In the U.K., ASDA had a solid third quarter, growing sales and growing operating income faster than sales, excluding fuel. In the third quarter of this year, comparable sales, excluding fuel, increased 1.3 percent. Traffic declined by 1.3 percent and average ticket increased 2.6 percent, as customers continue to consolidate their trips in the face of high fuel prices.

“The U.K. grocery market is entering into what is traditionally a heavy promotional period in time for Christmas. ASDA however, continues with a very simple promise to customers – our prices are 10 percent cheaper than the competition on comparable baskets, or we’ll give you the difference.

“And ASDA’s customers like it. Since this year, the prices of more than 13 million baskets have been checked online. Expenses grew slower than sales in the third quarter. To deliver cost savings, sustainable productivity programs are embedded in our operations, which help fund lower prices for customers. For example, the Fewer, Cheaper Miles program is delivering cost savings within the distribution network by reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

“The conversion of the Netto stores to ASDA supermarkets continues to progress on schedule, and sales and profits are exceeding our expectations.

“More than 70 percent were trading as ASDA Supermarkets by the end September, and today we have only a few left to complete. ASDA’s online grocery sales continued to grow strongly in the third quarter, and now customers can order groceries using a Smartphone. The on-time delivery rate has improved, with 19 of 20 customers receiving their purchase within the allotted time slot. ASDA opened a record number of stores this quarter, for a total of 83, which includes 77 Netto conversions. This brings ASDA to a total of 542 stores, including 139 supermarkets.

“ASDA’s customers are asking for great quality at great prices, so ASDA is extending its private brand ranges, and the premium “Extra Special” range is now backed by leading cookery school Leiths. Just recently, ASDA received recognition for both its quality products and being the lowest priced supermarket.”

This morning Asda announced that it was on track to complete its conversion programme for Netto stores next week, bringing its supermarket division to 180 stores by the end of the year. The retailer also announced it was on track to deliver £800 million in savings to customers by 2020 through its sustainability initiatives. Both releases are available here at the press centre: sustainability release and Netto conversions release.

Record-breaking conversion programme delivers Supermarket division with scale

• Asda Supermarket division will end year almost 180-strong

• At peak, eight Netto stores converted each week

• 2,500 new jobs created and with a doubling of store hours to serve customers

As Walmart prepares to release its third quarter results this afternoon, Asda has announced that it will complete its conversion of the UK Netto stores it acquired from Dansk Supermarket A/S next week.

The industry-leading programme – which at its peak saw Asda close, refurbish and reopen up to eight stores each week – will finish with the opening of the last store in Southampton next Monday (21st November).

On average each store closed for just two weeks while the major refit took place – a programme that involved the coordination of hundreds of internal and external building, distribution, training and supply colleagues and contractors.

The Netto programme has been delivered on time, on budget and has delivered to both Asda’s top and bottom-line from day one.

Nettos converted to become Asda Supermarkets have attracted more than 500,000 new customers since the first stores opened in Wakefield and Worksop in May 2011.

The transformation of the Netto stores has allowed Asda to build a small store chain of scale in record time. It’s also created 2,500 new jobs in communities across England and Wales – more than 1,000 more than the 1,500 originally planned.

More than 1,800 colleagues have also joined Asda from Netto, receiving new training, benefits and the opportunity to increase their hours. Both new and existing colleagues have received a combined 250,000 hours training for their new roles in two bespoke training centres in Ashton and Moorthorpe.

Karen Hubbard, Asda’s Director of Store Proposition, said:

“We knew when we set out on this journey that our goal to convert the Netto estate in such a short space of time was ambitious.

“It’s testament to the hard work and total dedication of the colleagues working on this programme that we have delivered on time, to budget and exceeded our own high expectations with these new stores.

“The feedback from our Supermarket customers has been fantastic, as they enjoy having the opportunity to complete a weekly shop, close to home, at the same low prices they would find in one of our larger stores.”

Asda shoppers splash out on Christmas goodies in November with an astonishing 180 million Christmas sweets sold in the past week alone

Asda research shows that Brits have already started stocking up their ‘Christmas Cupboard’ with all sorts of non-perishable festive nibbles including confectionery tins, savoury snacks like crisps and nuts, and Christmas puds.

The latest Asda income tracker shows that families now have £15 less to spend each week, when compared to 2010, which means that spreading the cost of Christmas is becoming more important than ever before. Over three quarters (76%) of shoppers opt to shop ahead in November by buying a couple of treats each time they shop. However, temptation is too much for some people with more than half (62%) admitting to dipping into their Christmas cupboard and scoffing food which has been saved for the festive period.

Asda’s research has revealed the following about our Christmas shopping habits:

• Top Christmas items to buy in November are: confectionery tins, crisps, nuts, Christmas pudding, mulled wine and spirits
  
  
• 73% of shoppers allocate a specific cupboard to store their Christmas goodies
  
  
• One in ten blame the kids for missing food in the run up to Christmas
  
  
• The biggest temptation is chocolate, with 38% of shoppers admitting to cracking open their confectionery tins before the 1st December*
  
  
  

Jessica Bates, Christmas confectionery buyer at Asda said: “Our customers are certainly price savvy when it comes to spreading the cost of their festive shopping. We’ve sold almost three million tins of chocolates this week, although I’m sure quite a few of those won’t make it unopened until the big day! Luckily, we always have low prices on a whole range of Christmas Cupboard essentials, so it won’t cost the earth to replace an item here and there if they accidentally go missing!”

Asda gives state-of-the-art format a boost by dropping Blu-Ray player prices to a market-leading £40

The Blu-Ray player is showing signs of emerging as the dominant digital format five years after its launch. GfK data for Asda shows that the gap between DVD and Blu-Ray player sales is beginning to shrink significantly – and Asda predicts that this Christmas will see Blu-Ray players outsell DVD players.

The Blu-Ray player has not experienced the meteoric rise that DVD players had over their VHS predecessors largely due to the more subtle, though significant, difference in image quality between Blu-Ray and DVD. New TVs, with full HD screens, are now a common feature in UK homes and Blu-Ray is at last poised to fulfill its potential. Blu-Ray players offer substantially better sound quality than DVDs and ‘upscale’ DVD discs to deliver better image quality.

Pricing has also been a factor and this week for the first time Asda is reducing the price of its entry-level ONN Blu-Ray player to a market-beating £40. By contrast, the lowest price Blu-Ray player at Currys is £69.97 and the lowest price Blu-Ray player at Argos is £69.99. The ONN player is available in all larger Asda stores and online at asda.com. It can also be ordered by phone on 0800 952 3003.

Wayne Steenson, vision expert at Asda said: “More and more UK homes are now equipped to enjoy the full benefit of high-definition Blu-Ray discs and we’re pleased to be offering Blu-Ray players at the lowest price in the market.”

Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible, meaning that they can play DVD discs as well as newer Blu-Ray discs.

Blu-Ray’s maximum resolution is 1,920 × 1,080 (1080p), while DVD is limited to 720×480 (480p). Blu-Ray also uses better video-compression methods, resulting in more contrast and richer colors. Blu-Ray is the highest-quality video format available today – better than HD satellite images and better than local cinema.

Asda is also cutting the cost of many Blu-Ray titles, with some recent releases on sale for less than £10.

Supermarket predicts Bonfire Night sales will light up the skies

Asda is gearing up for its biggest ever Bonfire Night sales, that will see sales of some products up 9% on 2010. On Friday and Saturday Asda predicts millions of shoppers will be flocking to stores to stock up on winter warming treats, cosy clothes and dazzling firework kits.

Banging stats:

• 1 in 5 customers are planning to host a Bonfire Night extravaganza for family and friends, whilst 44% of shoppers are opting to attend a local fireworks display
  
  
• Asda will sell over 1 million packs of sparklers; Asda’s sparkler sales have soared in the past five years, indicating not even rain or the recession is putting a dampener on bonfire night fun
  
  
• Asda’s ultimate Star Struck 15 Piece Selection Box, which at £5, is half the price of any other retailer and will ensure those who are watching the pennies can still create a dazzling light display in the comfort of their own garden. Surprise the family with the pack which includes; 1 catherine wheel, 3 Roman candles and 11 multi-effect fountains
  
  
• The supermarket is also seeing a 30% increase in sales on burgers and sausages for those who like to eat bangers as well as watch them. Butcher’s Selection fresh meat joints and lean mince are also flying off the shelves with a 12% increase in sales compared to this time last year
  
  
• Sales of Bonfire Toffee quadruple in the run up to Bonfire Night as shoppers buy in sweet treats. With shoppers in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the North East buying up the majority
  
  
• The week leading up to Bonfire night is the busiest of the year for Tiger bread rolls with sales beating those during BBQ season hands down –100,000 packs will be snapped up before the 5th
• Toffee apples are popular amongst customers with a sweet tooth, as Asda has shipped in 14% more stock this year to satisfy families. 1.8 million coated apples with flavoured toppings, such as toffee and chocolate, will be part of this week’s shopping list
  
  
• A survey of customers found that a quarter of them will be making their own cinder toffee at home this year, up 200% from 2010
  
  
• Keeping hands warm and safe from sparklers means Asda predicts a whopping 83% increase in sales of fleece gloves and a 61% increase for leather gloves
  
  
• Mums are ensuring their families don’t catch a cold during all the excitement, as Asda predicts a 13% increase in sales of knitwear compared to last year
  
  
• Asda is helping the nation to wrap up with £5 off knitwear online
  
  
• With heavy showers forecasted this weekend, rain will not be the reason to dampen Bonfire Night celebrations as Asda is likely to sell a quarter of a million umbrellas to protect customers from the adverse weather
  
  
• To light up dark winter evenings Asda has seen strong growth in RTDs (Ready to Drink) as customers look to impress their friends with colourful, exotic punches. WKDs and Apple Sours will steal the show as Asda sees a 25% increase in sales compared to an average week
  
  

War time spirit seen in series reflects Blitz spirit of shoppers going back to basics

As the nation bid a fond farewell to Downton Abbey on Sunday night, Asda reports home-grown jam and chutney making has been on the rise since the show first hit screens in September, as Brits replicate the frugal living of the first world war era with bottling and pickling home grown goodies.

A survey by Asda’s Pulse of the Nation shows that one in eight Brits (12%) have become first time jam or chutney makers since the second series of Downton hit our TV screens this autumn. Shoppers say the key motivation for the trend has been that they want to stock up store cupboards for the long winter months ahead (54%), followed by trying to save a few pennies by making Christmas gifts rather than buying them (29%) with 17% admitting they’ve wanted to embrace more of frugal lifestyle, as inspired by Downton Abbey.

Asda has seen the following ingredients snapped up since Downton Abbey returned to our TV screens in September:

• Malt vinegar and sultanas, two essentials for chutney making, have seen sales shoot up by a massive 223% and 167% respectively
  
  

• Bramley apples, the base for most chutneys, have also risen by 102%, alongside muscovado sugar at 97%
  
  

• Fruits traditionally used in jam making which normally see sales tail off as the weather turns colder are bucking the trend this year; raspberries are up by 17% on this time last year, peaches by 13% and oranges by 11%
  
  

An Asda spokesperson said: "In the midst of Downton bringing rations back into fashion, Brits have gone pickling mad for all things in jars! From delicious fruity jam to apple chutneys, preserves are big news as Brits in the 21st century experience a similar feeling of belt tightening to that experienced during the First World War

“we’re calling it the return of the Blitz spirit! For those finding themselves in a bit of a pickle in terms of lack of money or time to get to the shops, canning and bottling is an ideal way to feed the whole family whilst on a budget”

Asda reveals that the majority of women have over 5 perfumes in their personal collection

Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Kate Moss all have their own, and it appears that Asda shoppers have ‘em all. Research by Asda out today shows a whopping 81% of us have at least five different bottles of perfume on the go at any one time; that’s a different fragrance for every working day of the week.

While for the majority of women spritzing on one of their many scents is naturally the final stage of their preening process, others just like to hoard perfume for the bottles themselves; 54% of women admitted to showcasing their collection as an artistic display as the motivation behind having a collection of scents on the go.

The most unusual and innovative ways to exhibit the perfume bottles were revealed as being in shoe organisers, on ornate turn tables and even in spice racks – the latter giving a whole new meaning to the spicy undertones of a fragrance!

Laura Northend, Beauty Marketing Manager at Asda commented: “While a woman’s collection of perfumes may look a million dollars, it’s worth noting that any over five years old will have lost their unique aroma. Now is the time for all the fragrance hoarders out there to wake up and smell the perfume by disregarding the old and bringing in the new. At Asda, we’ve lowered the cost of our designer perfumes to a scent-sational £25 each – a deal that certainly shouldn’t be sniffed at.”

For thousands of years both men and women have used perfume and oils to scent their bodies, and perfume is now rated as one of the most popular gifts for anniversaries, birthdays and Christmas. 92% of those questioned have given the present of perfume to a loved one to mark a special occasion, with almost 95% of Asda customers having received the heaven-scent gift at one time or another.

The perfumes are available from both store and on line at Asda Direct.

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