Today Asda is opening the doors to their second-ever convenience store, following the success of their initial Asda Express launch in the West Midlands last month.
Located in Tottenham Hale, the new Asda Express will be the company's first convenience store based in London and will stock approximately 3,300 products for customers to choose from.
The new site, which has created 25 jobs in the local area, will serve as a trial run for Asda's foray into the world of convenience stores, with plans for a further 30 Express sites to open across the UK over the next year.
The Tottenham Hale location is intended to meet the needs of the students and residents in the nearby halls and apartments as well as commuters coming to and from the underground station, with a focus on grabbing food on the go to benefit those who are keen to do little shops more often, as opposed to one big grocery shop.
Those popping into Asda Express will be able to take advantage of a new "Food for Now" meal deal, which is similar to the Food to Go deal in Asda supermarkets that allows customers to buy a cold sandwich, snack and drink and get the cheapest item of the three for free.
The same principle applies, however, the offer at Tottenham Hale will also include hot bakery items like bacon rolls and pastries, as well as hot drinks from Asda's new Express brand partner, LEON, which is providing coffee for the two stores.
Fizzy drink fans will also be able to get their hands on some "less conventional" cans and bottles as part of the deal.
Speaking to The Mirror, Asda’s head of convenience Steve Shirley said: "You've got hot coffees, you've got bakery products, hot products such as bacon rolls and sausage rolls, then you've got your cold sandwiches, as well as conventional and new bottles of pop.
"Everything within that area for us is essential."
As well as this 'Food for Now' meal deal, the London-based store will also be running a deal on "Food for Later" like ready meals and fresh pizza and pasta.
This offer allows customers to purchase two mains, two sides and one drink for just £10 and currently includes items such as Pizza Express pizzas, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, Diet Coke, Fanta and Budweiser.
Not included in the meal deals, but unique to the Tottenham Hale Express store is a Tango Ice Blast machine where customers can choose between cherry or raspberry flavour slushies during their shop.
If that's not enough, shoppers will also be able to click and collect and drop off parcels at the Express store with the toyou service from Asda, which features a "hassle-free" drop-off machine to help beat the queues.
Additionally, the store boasts nine self-service checkouts, an ATM machine, and a very generous aisle of confectionery, as well as many other daily essentials.
While all of this sounds great, there is one notable downside to Asda Express - the prices.
Customers will notice the prices of certain items are more expensive in the convenience stores than they are in Asda superstores. Mr Shirley explains this is due to the higher running costs of the small spaces, known in the industry as "convenience boxes".
"Our prices are slightly dearer than the superstore but you've got to remember that our base price is the cheapest out of the big four [ Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons ]," he said.
"As part of our strategy in this [convenience] world we'll be at least five percent cheaper than Tesco Express, which is great value, but the reality is we will have a slight premium on products because the cost to run these units is more expensive."
He adds: "When you look at the convenience world, there aren't very many convenience stores that'll have the types of deals [Asda have] because of the cost of running the promotion, so we're using that as a reason [for shoppers] to visit."
Asda Express at Tottenham Hale opens its doors on Tuesday, December 6 and from then on will be open seven days a week from 7am until midnight.
