All about ASDA
What’s it like to work at ASDA?
We think there really is nowhere else quite like ASDA to shop in or to work at - and there hasn’t been since we first opened our doors to customers back in 1965.
Naturally, we’ve seen many changes in the meantime!
ASDA in the 70s
In the 70s we led the way in introducing one stop shopping to Britain through our acquisition of the country’s first 50,000 sq. ft. superstores.
ASDA in the 80s
The 80s saw the launch of our George brand; the first supermarket owned fashion concept.
ASDA in the 90s
In the 90s a combination of high borrowing and poor decisions brought the business to the brink of collapse - but the company’s saviour arrived in the form of Archie Norman. Within a couple of years he had laid the foundations for the ASDA of today. In fact he made us so successful, that Wal*Mart decided to buy us for £6.7 billion in 1999.
ASDA in the new millennium
The new millennium has seen us go from strength to strength and move into new areas like in store pharmacies, opticians and photo shops as well as financial services. In 2004 the first ASDA Living store, selling all our non food products, opened. This concept has been a great success and rapid growth is planned for this business area over the next few years.
ASDA today
Today we aim to lead the way in everything we do - from always offering lower prices to the millions of people who shop with us week in, week out, to our corporate responsibility in protecting the environment.
Our mission
Our mission is: To be Britain’s best value retailer exceeding customer needs … everyday
This is backed by our Purpose: To save everyone money, everyday.
Both are made possible by our dedicated team of colleagues and our commitment to ensuring that the customer always comes first in everything we do.
Our responsibilities
We take our responsibilities as a major retailer very seriously indeed:
- Our objective is to send zero waste to landfill by 2010 - and we’re firmly committed to encouraging all of our customers to move to reusable carrier bags. By the end of 2008 we’ll remove 47,000 tonnes of excess packaging from our own label food products - that's the equivalent of more than 6,700 London buses in weight!
- We take real pride in all we do, from supporting animal welfare to promoting sustainable forestry and working tirelessly to promote healthy eating for our customers. That’s why we’ve removed artificial additives from our own-brand food and drink, and are campaigning to have VAT reduced on smoothies and fruit drinks.
So it all comes down to the fact that we’re as principled as we’re practical.
Our role in the local community
Our stores play a fundamental role in the local community so we’re proud to support local and national charities like Children In Need and Tickled Pink.
Our colleagues have been involved in everything from renovating a local community centre in Liverpool, to funding a local radio station in Blaenau Gwent.
- In 2007, our colleagues volunteered 75,000 hours of their time to supporting their local communities.
- In early 2008, we launched ASDA Sporting Chance which will give thousands of our customers access to free sporting sessions for kids.
- In partnership with the charity SportsAid, we are supporting over 700 talented young athletes in the UK every year until 2013 with an annual grant as well as fundraising in stores.
You can read more about the ways we’re tackling the big issues like sustainability and health and supporting our local communities at our People, Prices, Planet website.
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