Supermarket chain Asda has hit a major milestone at the start of 2026 by opening its 500th Express store. The chain opened its doors in two new locations in the north of England, building on a successful 2025, which saw it roll out 17 new stores.
The stores in Salford and Bradford will offer more than 3,000 branded and own-label products, catering to everything from top-up shops to lunch on the go. Joseph Sutton, VP for Asda Express, foodservice and fuel, said: “We're excited to kick off the year by opening two brand-new Asda Express stores, building on our fantastic momentum from 2025. In under five years, we've built a nationwide convenience estate of over 500 stores, which is now outperforming the wider convenience market thanks to the combination of our great products and unbeatable value.
“We look forward to welcoming customers to these new stores.”
The latest opening sees the brand return to opening new stores after converting 469 sites acquired from Co-op and EG Group in 2024.
The latest openings are the first of around 20 sites the brand is believed to be opening throughout 2026, with its convenience arm remaining a key area of focus.
In Q3 of 2025, the convenience arm of the business saw like-for-like sales growth of 3.5% in contrast to the wider business, which experienced a sales decline of 2.8% during the same timeframe, caused in part by severe disruption to systems following cutover from Project Future.
As part of its focus, the brand is believed to be continuing to develop its presence in areas where it traditionally had less of a footprint, including in high-footfall urban areas, residential neighborhoods and transport hubs.
The grocery giant said it had “a strong pipeline” of new stores also set to open later in the year.
The Bradford Express store has taken over the Hare and Hounds pub located on Toller Lane, while the Salford site is located on Norton Street.