90 per cent of Asda customers are worried about a depression

Roger Burnley, CEO and president of Asda said: “It has become increasingly clear that Covid-19 is set to be part of our lives for months to come and we know that customers have moved on from an initial worry about the virus, to more longer term concerns about the implications of lockdown on their family, wellbeing and finances.

"And, as more people return to work, they are juggling the demands of cooking more and having less time to shop for groceries. Our latest income tracker data shows that household incomes declined 0.6 per cent in March, the first drop since 2017, and 90 per cent of customers told us they are worried about a depression in the economy."

He said that whilst safety is still a major focus for customers, three quarters said they are also increasingly concerned about the price of groceries and are looking for value.

"We can reassure them that Asda will meet their needs on both," he said.

"However long Covid-19 is with us, we will continue to offer great value to customers, as well as investing in doing the right things to protect our customers, our colleagues and our communities - and fulfil our vital role in feeding the nation.”

With two thirds of customers still concerned around safety in supermarkets, Asda is investing in more longer term measures to support social distancing in its stores, including trialling a virtual queuing solution at its Middleton store near Leeds, which allows customers to log in to the queue remotely and wait in their car to enter the store.

The supermarket has also extended the capacity of its ‘Food Box’ delivery service for vulnerable customers to 10,000 boxes per day.

Leeds-based Asda said its like for like sales, excluding petrol, rose 3.5 per cent in the three months to March 31.