UK supermarket giant Asda will close two of its Asda Living stores in the coming weeks, with the first expected to go in July.
Though it is best known as a grocery retailer, the chain also operates “Living” stores which sell “general merchandise”.
This includes all non-food ranges such as clothing, home electrics, toys, homeware, health, and beauty.
Unlike homeware aisles found in superstore branches, Asda Living stores are self-contained.
There are currently 33 branches open across the UK though this will be reduced to just 31 from the end of next month.
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Asda will be closing its popular homeware branches in two city locations across England and Wales.
The first Asda Living store to go is the Green Retail Park branch in Wrexham, Wales. Shoppers will be unable to visit the branch from Monday, July 31, 2023.
A second outlet in Eastgate Park, Bristol will also close – and it could be sooner than the end of July.
The date of closure is yet to be confirmed by the supermarket giant, so there is a chance that it may come before the Wrexham branch.
Of course, customers who visited the affected branches will lose the chance to shop in-store, but the retailer has also recognised the impact on staff.
In order to “support the process”, Asda claimed it has been in close conversation with employees who will lose their positions at the Living outlets.
An Asda spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “Despite the best efforts of our hard-working colleagues, our Asda Living store in Wrexham has been running at a loss for a number of years so unfortunately following a period of consultation we have decided to close the store.
“We recognise this will be a difficult time for colleagues at the store and we are in discussions with all of them to support them through this process, we will do all we can to find alternative roles in other local stores.”
The supermarket giant employs 145,000 people in the UK, and more than 20 jobs are expected to be affected by the Wrexham branch closure.
